Never Forget
by Blitz Chick
Summary: Blitz Chick was a normal girl living with her friends and robots. But when something happens, will it effect their future together?
1. Chapter 1

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I do NOT own MegaMan, MegaMan X, or any of the characters from that game. I do own Blitz Chick, Starfire, and Hannah. **_TOUCH AND DIE!_**

Our tale begins many a year ago…long before Reploids were commonplace technology…the age of robots. Abnormal Labs is a partner of Doctor Light, and run by a young woman known simply as Blitz Chick. Some of Doctor Light's robots have taken up permanent residence there. The labs are co-operated by Blitz Chick's friend, Hannah. This is where our tale first begins…on a simple day at the labs.

* * *

The brunette woman stared at the screen, deep blue eyes staring intently at the information before her.

_The answer is here…I just KNOW it is! But where…?_

Glancing at her calculations before her, the woman spread them out with a blue-gloved hand. Pausing, she smiled. It had been several years since she first integrated her own body with robot technology, but unfortunately, it hadn't caught on like some of her other innovations, the CO2 Engine for example. It ran off of pollutants and some CO2 in the air, purifying the air while eliminating pollution. A good, no, BRILLIANT idea in retrospect. But lately a new idea had become the woman's main project.

Reploids were a highly experimental technology. They were so advanced they weren't even on the market. When the brunette first heard of it, her eyes had lit up.

_If I can integrate a robot with a human, why can't I do it with a Reploid?_

The idea had seemed simple in her head, but still, nothing worked out as planned. All the simulations she had run ended with the subject dying or going insane. Of course, none of the tests were preformed on real humans, just with a computer program. Converting a robot to a Reploid or just building one would be simple enough, but the challenge was what the woman relished the most.

Pressing a few more keys, the blue-eyed woman held her breath.

"Please work!"

The computer began the simulation and after several tense moments, a green light pulsed, a message flashing good news. At last, a successful binding.

"YEEEEESSS!" The woman leapt out of her chair, turning and running headlong into another woman.

The other woman was tall, with curly blonde hair and pale blue eyes. She too was integrated with Robot technology but her armor looked very similar to Zero's. Her expertise was in spying and on a mission to Wiley's labs, she had caught a glimpse of plans for a robot named Zero. Upon returning she had shown the head of the labs the plans and within two weeks her armor was in place.

Pulling the brunette up, she smiled. "Geeze Blitz, you gave me a scare! I just came to tell you that the CO2 Engine V2.0 is ready!"

Blitz Chick smoothed her long brown ponytail, checking the bright pink hair ribbon holding it in place. "Oh, thanks Hannah, but check this out!"

Peering around Blitz Chick, Hannah stared at the screen. "Success? You mean to tell me…"

"Yep!" Beamed the head of the labs. "It can be done! As soon as I perfect it I'm going to do the first binding."

Binding was the term everyone used at the labs for the surgery that bound robot technology to a human.

Skeptical, Hannah frowned. "Are you sure BC? I mean, you should do some more tests before you do anything else…"

The brunette opened her mouth to object, but someone hailed her from the doorway of her spacious lab.

"BC!"

Turning, Blitz Chick smiled as her robot friend and creation, Starfire, sprinted over. Her design was based off of MegaMan's; only she was female with green boots and a blue suit. Her long blonde ponytail hung to mid back, and her blue eyes sparkled.

"Congrats on the Reploid project! I just heard the news."

Throwing one arm around each girl, Blitz smiled. "I couldn't have done it without you two. So…" She grinned slyly. "Whadda you say we go out for a night on the town? As a celebration?"

Hannah cheered. "AWRIGHT! Party!"

"What's going on?"

The three girls spotted the familiar figure of ProtoMan peering around the doorframe. Bass, Starfire's adoptive older brother, was right behind him, deep burgundy eyes curious.

Starfire gave a squeal of delight and ran over to the boys, hugging them both. "Oh it's so wonderful! BC finally god the Reploid Binding Technology to work!"

ProtoMan lit up. "That's great BC!" He fully stepped into the room, adjusting the shield on his back from pinching the yellow scarf around his neck.

Bass was right behind him, carrying Starfire piggyback style. The sight was almost comical, seeing as Star had to put her head on top of Bass's head to see around the two fins on his helmet.

"That's great BC! It really is. We all know you've worked so hard on this." The ebony robot shifted a little to hold his sister more comfortably. "So where are we going to eat?"

As the five friends laughed and joked in good spirits, none of them had the slightest idea of what was coming. For despite the peace and merriment, something sinister was approaching.

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Awright then! I should do some explaining. Yes, the character of Blitz Chick is based off of me. Hannah is based off of my friend in real life. What will happen next? Who will I kill first? Kidding! …or am I? 


	2. Impending Doom

Blitz Chick awoke the next morning to the sound of her bedside phone ringing. Blearily, she pushed the speaker button. "You'd better have a good reason for waking me up…" The brunette mumbled.

ProtoMan's voice filtered through, a little crackly. "BC, there's some people here to see you. What do you want me to do?"

Still attempting to wake up, Blitz looked at the clock. Almost eight. She had slept in today. "Escort them to the waiting room Proto. I'll be down in a minute…"

Disconnecting the link, Blitz Chick tumbled out of bed and fumbled for her usual lab gear. She wanted to get started on preparations for the Reploid binding. Pulling on her yellow jumpsuit, Blitz then pulled on her knee-high blue boots, gloves and settled her blue belt on her hips. For the finishing touch, she pulled her brown hair up into a ponytail with a bright pink ribbon so that the ends of her hair just brushed her shoulders.

Apparently everyone else had heard about the men and were waiting for Blitz in the hall just beyond the waiting room. Everyone looked tense and slightly apprehensive.

Bass was the first to speak. "BC, I don't like this. These guys are from the government."

Blinking her deep blue eyes, Blitz was curious. "The government? Why?"

Hannah shook her head. "I don't know BC, but I don't think it's to give you an award."

After a moment of tense silence, Star spoke what was on everyone's minds. "What do you want us to do BC?"

Thinking, the brunette pulled them all close. "Right, here's the plan. Proto, I want you to go to my lab and transfer all my files and research to the underground labs. Bass, Star, move all our main surgical equipment and anything else we'll need to the underground facilities." As the other three split up, Blitz pointed to Hannah. "As my second in command, you're coming in with me."

Raising an eyebrow, Hannah let her hand stray towards the beam saber at her hip. "JUST as second in command?"

With a hand on the door, Blitz Chick smiled. "Oh, all right. Second in command AND backup."

The duo entered the waiting room and stared directly at the two men in suits and sunglasses. One of them carried a black suitcase and it appeared both were wired.

Of course, neither woman let on that they knew. Blitz Chick played the part of a gracious host. "Gentlemen, what a surprise! You'll have to excuse me; you caught me as I was waking up. Have a seat. Can I get you something to drink? Coffee, tea…?"

The men sat down on the tan colored couch behind them and shook their heads. "We'll pass, thank you." Answered the man with the briefcase.

"Well…" Blitz Chick sat as well, Hannah at her side. It was almost comforting to have the coffee table between them, so sides were clearly drawn. Resting her chin on her steeped fingers, Blitz Chick smiled. "What can I do for you gentlemen today?"

After a quick glance, the man without the suitcase spoke. "We're here on a matter of safety."

The curly haired second in command answered before her brunette counterpart could. "I don't see a reason to do so. We just had an inspection last week over every inch of the lab. The inspectors found nothing wrong and passed us with flying colors."

This time it was the briefcase man who replied. "We are well aware of that Miss Hannah. However, we're here on a staff inspection, not a technical one." He opened the case and looked at some papers within. "For example…Miss Blitz Chick, you employ a Wily bot, correct?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Are you sure it's safe to allow him so close to dangerous technology? He could turn on you at any time."

Casting an unseen glance at Hannah, the brunette spoke. "I've checked his programming and removed anything I feel could have made him turn and injure anyone at my labs. Bass is perfectly safe now."

The men were silent before the first man continued again. "…Right. Now, I'm also under the impression you employ two other robots."

"Starfire and ProtoMan, yes."

"Both were built by Dr. Thomas Light, correct?"

"ProtoMan was, but Starfire was not. I built her during my apprenticeship to Dr. Light. He was kind enough to let me take credit for her."

"Is Dr. Light aware that you've employed one of his creations?"

"Yes he is, and ProtoMan sends fifty percent of his earnings over to Light Laboratories to help support his family."

"I see. And your second in command, she is human, is she not?"

"Yes, I am." Hannah remarked with a hint of bite in her voice. Blitz Chick winced. Her friend was not one to be talked over.

The second man turned to her, glancing at a file the first man was holding. "I see you've had Robot Binding surgery."

"I have."

"And you have been in good health since then?"

"My health is none of your concern."

Frowning at the snappy response, the first man was about to speak when ProtoMan entered.

Leaning over so as to whisper in Blitz Chick's ear, the red robot's voice was a hoarse whisper. "The files have been transferred. I made sure no trace of your data was left. Star and Bass have about a third of the equipment moved."

Smiling, Blitz whispered back. "Good job Proto. Go help them and I'll see you in a bit."

Once he was gone, the head of the labs smiled. "Just a status report. Nothing to worry about. Please, continue."

And again, the first man began the questioning. "I'd like to ask about your inventions Miss Blitz Chick. Now, you invented the CO2 engine, correct?"

Nodding, the brunette smiled. "Yes we did. As a matter of fact, we completed the CO2 engine version 2.0 just yesterday. After a few test runs it'll be out on the market in a few months."

"I understand…now, aside from your robot binding technology, the government has received a report of your labs developing some weapon technology."

Both women stiffened before Hannah spoke up. "We've been experimenting with buster strength, beam sabers and some electrical technology. Nothing final, everything is still in the test phases so far."

"Then am I to understand the blade you carry at your side is one of the experimental weapons?"

Hannah growled, her hand straying over to rest on the hilt. "I never use it except for in the practice holo. And so far it has been working wonderfully. It uses twice as little power and can go fifty days longer without recharging."

The second man smirked, putting a file on the table. "We also understand that you have been working on a micro weapon that could be implanted into the tip of a finger. The purpose is to fire simulated lighting bolts at the attacker."

Taking the file, Blitz Chick skimmed it for only a moment before nodding. "Yes, we have."

With a deep breath, the man continued. "Miss Blitz Chick, the government knows that you had some fairly strong robotics bound to you. It is also rumored that you implanted this experimental technology into your own hands, is that correct?"

Pursing her lips, Blitz Chick met Hannah's pale blue eyes. This was what they were worried about. "Yes…I do have lightning technology implanted into my hands…but what does that have to do with this inspection?"

Ignoring the question, the second man stood, retrieving the file. "Is the rest of your staff aware that you're in possession of this technology?"

"Yes, they are. Sometimes we use it to jump start engines or stuff like that."

"So I am to understand that this technology is fully functional?"

"It is indeed. If I wished it, I could blow out that light over there." The brunette motioned to a lamp on the corner table.

Sighing, both men stood. "Thank you for speaking with us…I'm afraid we'll have to take you and your staff into custody though."

Hannah stood so fast she nearly flipped the couch. "What? Why would you do that, we haven't done anything wrong!"

"The government is concerned about the safety of putting such technology in your hands."

Standing and putting a hand on Hannah's shoulder to stifle her anger, Blitz Chick remained calm. "Gentlemen, I daresay there's a misunderstanding here. My labs and the people in them work only FOR the people, not against them."

Both men were as cold and unmovable as rocks. "If you do not comply, we will use force."

This set Blitz Chick's hands to crackling with electricity and Hannah drew her glowing blue blade. Smirking, the blonde beckoned. "Looks like you're gonna have to use force then."

Almost instantly the entrance was blown open and armed SWAT troops swarmed in.

Flipping the couch at the oncoming troops, Hannah called to Blitz Chick. "GO! I'll hold them here!"

Turning, the brunette understood and sprinted for the back of the labs. There she had a teleporter to her secret underground lab. After exiting the hall that led to the entry room, Blitz Chick was horrified to find that her other friends had already come under fire. It was only a few troops, but even so, it was distressing.

Starfire spotted the head of the labs first and rushed over. "BC! You gotta get outta here. It's not safe."

"No duh, Sherlock!"

Bass fought his way over and looked at the two girls. "Star, you take BC and Proto. I'll hold them off here and catch up with you later."

Meeting his eyes, Blitz was confident in Bass's abilities. "All right. Hannah's fighting the main force, so…"

Nodding, the raven colored robot formed his left hand into an arm cannon. "You got it BC. I'll go help out."

The three remaining sprinted for the back of the labs. A commotion behind them announced the advance of soldiers past Bass. Pausing in a stairwell to the living quarters, Starfire turned, blue eyes fierce. "NO! We can't keep running anymore!"

ProtoMan also turned, pulling out his shield and buster. "She's right BC. We can't let this go on any longer."

A few tears of pride sprang to BC's eyes at the courage of her friends, all of them sacrificing themselves for her. Slowly, she nodded. "Awright…when you can, get to the lab. Let Hannah and Bass know."

Sprinting, BC found herself in her own personal labs, the ones at the very back of the facilities. And waiting for her was a troop of elite soldiers that had her surrounded in a heartbeat.

Sighing, Blitz remained calm. "Gentlemen, I do not wish to hurt you. But if you insist on trying to capture me by force, I must warn you, my skills are 1337, and I'm a level 79 ninja assassin."

Unfortunately, this did not phase the troops, because they all took aim and the room echoed with the clicks of safeties going off.

Sighing, Blitz shook her head. "Looks like we're doing this the hard way." And as the first line rushed towards her, the brunette unleashed the big guns.

Clapping her hands, Blitz Chick then slammed them palms down into the ground, bolts of electricity erupting from them. Standing, she admired her handiwork before looking at her palms.

"I have GOT to stop watching so much Full Meal Alchemist."

Over the heads of the crowd Blitz Chick spotted the teleporter. Grinning maliciously, she tore through the troops, ignoring the blasts of plasma that raked her limbs. Pressing her hand to a scanner, she twirled into the teleporter. "SO LONG SUCKERS!"

And then she was gone. Falling onto the cold packed dirt floor of her underground lab, Blitz looked around. Everything was there, neatly stacked in piles but still creating a clutter. Getting to her feet, the young woman looked around and realized how totally and completely alone she was.


	3. 121 JIGAWATTS Marty!

Over the next few hours, the brunette began running a systems check on her equipment. She was halfway through the medical equipment when the teleporter reactivated and her battered friends fell though.

Everyone was in a sad state. Torn cloth, matted hair, barely functioning armor…and that was just the surface.

Hurrying over, Blitz Chick helped her friends to a safe spot. "Hannah! Star! What happened?"

ProtoMan answered, leaning against a medical table. "We held them off as long as we could. But then a couple troops rushed in, saying that you had fled. When they heard that, everyone retreated. I went with Star and got those two." He nodded at Hannah and Bass, both of whom seemed in the worst condition.

Hannah looked up at Blitz Chick. "We took the teleporter…but we saw all those bodies…BC…did you…?"

Shaking her head, the young scientist made her way to the teleporter. "No…I just knocked them out. I wouldn't kill them." Putting a hand on the control panel, sparks of electricity jumped from her hand to the teleporter, shorting out the machine.

Bass stared at his friend for a long time. "So…we'll get fixed up and we'll be on our way, right BC? We could hide out in Japan. You always said you wanted to go there!"

Not trusting herself to face her friends, the brunette scientist shook her head. "I will fix you…it's the least I can do for dragging you into this mess…but I'm not going to Japan with you."

Star was curious. Something was different about her creator's voice. "Then what'll you do BC? You can't stay here, the authorities will find you!"

Lowering her eyes, Blitz Chick took a deep breath. "They won't find me. I'm not going some other place, but some other time." Turning, the brunette found confused faces. Sighing, she tried again. "I'm doing this wrong…I'm not going anywhere on this earth…at least, not now. Guys, I'm going to the future."

Eyes widened and Bass's jaw dropped. Finally, the ebony robot spoke. "You have a time machine?"

Slapping her forehead in a gesture of exasperation, Blitz Chick was about to yell, but Hannah intervened. "Bass…I think she means that she's going to be in stasis until it's safe."

Shooting her partner a thankful glance, Blitz Chick nodded. "Exactly. But by the time I get out of stasis, all the technology will have changed. So I'm going to get an update."

ProtoMan gasped, grasping the concept. "You don't mean…?"

"I said I wanted a test subject for the Reploid Binding. Who better to do it on than me?"

"NO!" Hannah was on her feet. Unsteadily, but she was up. "I won't let you!"

Attempting to plead with Hannah, Blitz Chick turned. "Hannah, please…"

"No BC! I've been with you for the past two years, and I'm not leaving you now! If you go to the future, so do I!"

Silence rang through the cavern before Bass shakily stood. "I'm going too."

"Bass…" The blue-eyed scientist could hardly believe this.

"Me too!" Star scrambled to stand by her brother. "If Nii-san goes, so do I!"

Slowly, Blitz Chick looked to ProtoMan. "I suppose you want to go as well?"

He shrugged, smirking. "How did you guess?"

Sighing, Blitz Chick nearly smiled. "It'll be a long, hard, and for some of us, painful process."

"You're talking like we care about that."

Finally smiling, Blitz Chick looked lovingly at her friends. "Let's get started then."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Muahahahahaha…. beware, for the authoress has decided to introduce a new character. Not yet though. No, that's for later…. be afraid. Be VERY afraid.


	4. Promise

Hannah peered down into the operating room. It had been nearly a month since Blitz Chick made the decision to go to the future as a Reploid, but now that she was actually going to follow through…

Pressing a button on the console, Hannah's voice filtered through the speakers. "BC, you sure about this?"

Turning her head, Blitz Chick sighed. Lifting the mask that covered her nose and mouth, she raised her voice. "I'm positive Hannah! I've checked the equipment dozens of times and all the pieces of my armor are fully functional. All you have to do is knock me out and the computer will do the rest."

"What if you got a calculation wrong? What if you move during the operation and something gets messed up?"

Sighing, Blitz Chick met Hannah's eyes. "Well, I guess I'm putting myself in the hands of fate. And so far, that's worked for me."

Lowering the mask, Blitz Chick stared at the ceiling. "Knock me out Hannah."

Taking one last look at her partner, Blitz Chick watched her push the button. Almost instantly she heard the hiss of gas and everything went black.

* * *

"…chick…Blitz Chick? Hey, you there?"

Groggily, the brunette opened her eyes. Hannah's relieved face was the first one to come into focus, with ProtoMan right behind.

"You made it!"

Wincing, Blitz Chick nodded. Bass reached for her IV stand. "You said yourself that it would hurt. Here, I'll get some morphine in there."

He slowly mixed in the drug and Blitz Chick relaxed, looking around at her friends. "How long was I out?" She said, feeling a bit drowsy still.

Star was perched on the end of the bed. "Well, the operation took a full five hours and you were out for another two after that. Scared us half to death!"

"And?" Blitz Chick used the buttons on her bedrail to raise the head of the bed. "Did it work?"

Hannah smiled. "You're a Reploid now."

A sigh of relief seemed to pass though the room before BC was all business. "And the lightning technology…?"

A smile was beginning to creep across Hannah's face. "Still perfect. You really outdid yourself BC."

The brunette was silent for a moment before looking around. "So…who's next?"

"I am." The curly haired girl declared. "It takes a human a longer time to recover from the transformation than a robot, so by the time you and I have recovered everyone else will be ready to go into stasis."

Blitz Chick nodded before turning to her robot friends. "All right then. Can someone find me a wheelchair? As much as I hate to say this, but I don't think I'll be walking for a little while and my arms are really not that useful right now."

The three robots scurried off and left the two humans alone. Blitz Chick motioned to the bedside table. "Hannah, can you hand me my sketchbook?"

Handing her friend the white, wire bound book, Hannah watched as Blitz Chick paged through, finally stopping on a schematic of a Reploid.

"Is that…?"

"Yep. Just like you wanted it too. Mind you, getting the metal light enough to not be a hindrance without reducing the strength was a real challenge. Near impossible. But as you can see from me, it works just fine."

"I get a visor?"

"I thought you'd like that."

"It's freaking sweet BC!"

"I already stared construction on the pieces. I have all your measurements anyways."

With a sigh, Blitz Chick set aside the blueprint. "Hannah…I've been thinking…about this whole incident…"

Smiling, Hannah pulled up a chair. "If you're worried about getting in trouble with the law, I wouldn't. You're on the lamb anyways, so turning us into Reploids really isn't that big of a deal."

"No, not that…" The blue-eyed girl fidgeted with the edge of the sheets. "…It's about this whole thing. Starting with when they first came to the labs."

"What about it BC?"

"I want to forget it."

"We all have things we want to forget BC. That doesn't change the fact that they happened."

"No, you don't understand. I _can _forget!"

"BC…?" Hannah let her friend continue.

"When we go into stasis, I'm going to erase all our memories. From the moment we were born or created until the moment we go into stasis. Nobody will ever remember this."

"BC, NO!" Hannah grabbed her partner's wrist. "You can't! Don't you remember what sensei told us?"

Meeting Hannah's pale blue eyes, BC nodded. "Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. I remember."

"Right! If we forget…this will happen all over again."

"Fine." The brunette huffed. "_I_ won't forget. But you guys…"

"No." The blonde leveled her gaze at BC. "I won't let you carry this burden alone BC. You're not letting me forget."

Opening her mouth to argue, Blitz Chick thought about it for a moment before shaking her head and smirking. "You wouldn't let me even if I said no, would you?"

"Alas, you know me too well." Holding out her hand, Hannah smirked back. "Promise me you won't erase my memories?"

Blitz Chick put her hand only an inch away from Hannah's. "You do realize what this'll mean if I say yes, don't you? You'll never be able to tell anyone about your past life or what happened. You and I will be the only people who know."

"Of course I know!"

Putting her hand in Hannah's, Blitz Chick smiled. "Then I promise to you that you and I will never forget. Ever."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: And so it begins…Muahahahahaha…


	5. Never Forget

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello again! Yes, I have another chapter. But do you have any idea how hard it is for me to write theses things with finals coming up? It's insane! I can hardly find the time of day to relax anymore, much less write fan fictions for your own entertainment! You think I-

We apologize for Blitz Chick's behavior. Finals week is coming and she's just a little stressed. Please send her an e-mail of sympathy or review the story. She would very much appreciate it. Do not expect a reply back though. She is working around creating three separate projects, one of which is worth 100 points. That's almost half her final grade in the class. …She has returned to a rational state, and the author's note can commence.

…Sorry about that. My bad. I don't know what got into me…At any rate, I will be introducing a new character soon, and he's based off of a friend of mine in real life. And I just dropped a clue as to the gender of this character. Work it out for yourself.

It had taken the better part of the past eight months, but everything was ready. Hannah and BC had made full recoveries from their surgeries. All equipment for the stasis tubes were functioning correctly and now the time had come to say goodbye.

Overall, Blitz Chick was tearing up at the goodbyes. She hadn't thought it would be this hard. Hugging ProtoMan, she pressed her face into his scarf as he patted her back comfortingly.

"Aw, c'mon BC! We'll see each other in the future. It's only a hundred years to go before we speak again."

"Not helping…" Hannah growled, separating the two.

Star hugged BC gently, smiling. "Don't cry BC. We'll all still be the best of friends! Even if it has been a hundred years."

Bass was the first to go into stasis. He embraced Starfire quickly before stepping into the tube. "BEAM ME UP SCOTTY!" He declared as the glass doors slid shut in front of him.

Sighing, Hannah worked the controls. "Well, there goes my line."

Slowly, Bass's eyes closed until a light flashed, alerting the others that he was out. Hannah pushed another button that filled the tube with the characteristic sea foam green stasis liquid.

Starfire was next and before she went she kissed ProtoMan, whispering something to him that made him smile before kissing her again.

ProtoMan was next, holding his head high as he went in.

Finally it was just the two humans. Silence reigned for a moment.

"You sure about this?"

"I'm sure Hannah. We need to go."

"100 years is a long time. We'll have to do some catching up when we wake."

"WE are only going to be asleep for 95 years my friend. We've got to get established before the others wake up."

"You wiped their minds?"

"They were wiped as soon as their eyes closed."

Both were silent for a while longer.  
"Hannah…what's gonna happen to your family?"

Shrugging, Hannah looked at the ceiling. "The natural aging process I guess. They get older, have children and die." She looked back at her friend. "What about you?"

Smiling, Blitz Chick put her hands on her hips. "I left Nii-san instructions if he wants to follow me. I don't know if he will though. It'd be nice to see him in the future though."

With an exasperated look, Hannah cocked an eyebrow. "I was talking about _him_."

"Oh…" Replied the brunette in a hushed voice. Her blue eyes were sad. "I…I didn't really tell him…"

"BC!"

"I didn't want to hurt him!"

"You should've told him!"

"He would've followed!"

"So? If he cares enough to follow…"

"He could be hurt! I won't let that happen!"

Both girls stared at each other, blue eyes locked. Finally, Hannah sighed and spoke. "So that's it? You leave and he gets on with his life?"

Releasing a breath she didn't know she was holding, Blitz Chick nodded. "Hopefully. I wish I could be here to see him get into the Navy like he wants to…"

"Who knows, maybe we'll hear about him in the future."

Blitz Chick laughed. "I'll bet we will." Pressing a few buttons on the console, she then headed towards her stasis tube, Hannah at her side.

"So…you think we'll be any different after 100 years?"

"Knowing you, not a chance."

"Point…Well, at least we can look back and see what happened to all our other buddies."

"Yeah…and who knows, maybe we'll miss some sort of horrible disaster!"

"Funny Hannah. Very funny."

Stepping into the capsules, Blitz Chick smiled as the gas hissed into the chamber. "See ya in 100 years…"

Hannah smiled, blue eyes closing. "I'll hold you to it"

Finally both women were out cold, their bodies suspended in time, not to awaken for another hundred years. Walls slid over their resting place, hiding them from human eyes. The three other capsules would be scattered to different hiding spots within a five hundred mile radius of the original labs and when the occupants awoke, nobody would ever remember the whole incident

Only two people would remember. The two who were destined to never forget.


	6. Blast From The Past

The year was 21XX. Reploids were dominant now, but so were Mavericks. An elite group of fighters called the Maverick Hunters had been established and headquarters were set up across the country. The main headquarters wasn't the biggest, but it had the best fighters by far.

It was a typical day for the class S hunters, Zero, X and Axl. They joked and laughed as they made their way up to the briefing room, where the operators would give them the lowdown on their next mission.

"…And so he thinks that I'm going left, but then I come in and get him on the right! It was textbook!" Exclaimed Zero. He was nicknamed the Red Raider due to his crimson colored armor and his keen ability at dispatching Mavericks. His long flowing ponytail was a rich gold color and nearly swept the floor. The Red Raider's rich blue eyes sparkled with the thrill of battle.

Zero's best friend, MegaMan X smiled softly. X wasn't a supporter of violence, but he acknowledged that sometimes violence had to be used to obtain peace. His armor was blue, like his predecessor and his eyes were a brilliant shade of green.

Axl was the youngest of the group. His spiky orange hair was easily visible against his navy blue armor. Axl's eyes were green as well, but not quite as intense as X's eyes. The young Reploid's special ability was to copy any Reploid or Maverick's form and powers. He was unnervingly good at it, but still preferred to use his two pistols instead.

Gazing admiringly at Zero, Axl bounded a few steps ahead. "So what're we going to the Op's room for?"

X shrugged. "I don't know Axl. Perhaps there's been another attack."

"I doubt it." Zero said, shaking his head. "We would've heard something before this! And when Sigma attacks, he doesn't mess around with the little stuff. He goes right for the big show."

Entering the Op's room, the trio was greeted by three female Reploids who turned to look at them when they entered.

The oldest was Alia, who was a navigator. Her blonde bangs swept down across her blue eyes and she smiled sweetly at X, who blushed furiously and smiled back. Her pink armor glinted in the light as she turned back to her papers.

Next was another Reploid who wasn't exactly an operator, but she wasn't a field agent either. Her name was Telith, and she had pale blue eyes that glistened with something akin to battle lust. Two curved blades adorned her forearms, which were covered by bright red gloves. A red vest with a gold cross-like design covered most of her chest. The two bright red boots she wore sported gold banding with a golden, diamond shaped piece that fit over the knees. Her curly, pale blonde bangs were framed by a push down visor that would protect her eyes in times of need. The armor suit she wore was black, with two slanting bands of gold that stopped at her hips and began somewhere under the vest. As the boys entered, she smirked.

The last Reploid in the room was also the youngest. Her name was Blitz, and she was an operator who could've been a class S hunter. Blitz's deep blue eyes were intelligent and somewhat mischievous. Her hair was pulled into a low ponytail of brunette strands that reached to just past her shoulder blades with a bright pink ribbon. A gray band spanned from earpiece to earpiece, and behind it was a light blue helmeted section. She wore a blue vest type thing that ended just below the bust. It was bordered by thin bands of silver, like the bright yellow circular gem on her chest. Two sloping bands of yellow came up towards the gem but stopped an inch before the silver banding. Her almost elbow length gloves were also blue with a yellow gem on the back of her hand, still surrounded by silver banding and had the sloping yellow lines that stopped just before the silver section. At the end of the gloves was another band of silver with a rounded, silver diamond shaped piece that fit over her elbows. Like Telith, her body suit was black with two sloping lines that ended just past her hips. The boots were also blue with a rounded silver piece that went over the knees.

Blitz looked up from the clipboard she was holding and smiled sweetly at the boys.

Alia began the meeting, jumping right in. "I'm glad you all could come. We picked up some strange signals this morning right about here." She pointed to a holographic map that automatically zoomed in to show a slightly mountainous region.

Sighing, Zero crossed his arms over his chest. "Let me guess…you want us to go check it out, right?"

The pink Reploid nodded, but held up a hand to quell any questions. "But Colonel Redips wants you to take Blitz and Telith with you to see how they perform in a team format."

Shooting each other unseen glances of uncertainty, Blitz spoke up. "Uhhh…Alia, I don't think we should go on this one. Who knows what's out there?"

"Chief Redips thinks you can handle it. Now, you'll teleport out to here…"

While Alia explained, Telith leaned in close to Blitz.

"BC…isn't that where…?"

"Yeah…that's why I don't want to go."

"So you think the signal…?"

"It's possible. It's about the time."

"What're we gonna do?"

"We'll just have to go. What will be will be. Hopefully the sight of us won't trigger a recall…"

"WHAT?"

"It's possible. I'm fairly sure it won't happen though. Relax."

"Hey."

Zero's voice made the two girls jump to attention, which made the red raider laugh. "Easy! I was just gonna tell you two we're gonna go."

Clapping a hand over her heart, Telith leaned sideways. "Be still my beating heart…"

Following the three boys down to the teleporters, Axl questioned the two girls.

"So what kind of weapon do you use Miss Blitz?"

Blitz laughed and the green-eyed Reploid blushed. "Please, just call me Blitz. And I really don't use a weapon…I prefer hand to hand combat."

Axl frowned. "Then how do you take out a sniper?"

It was at that point when Blitz turned to him, smiling a smile that made shivers run through Axl's whole body. It was a mischievous smile, but it hid something…like the Mona Lisa.

"I have my ways Axl. I have my ways…"

And she wouldn't say any more on the subject. In defeat, Axl turned to Telith. "What weapon do you use?"

Chuckling, Telith shook her head. "What DON'T I use is more the question. But my main weapon is a beam saber." She showed him the hilt in her hand.

Staring at it wide-eyed, Axl lit up. At last, a weapon he could recognize! "Is that the same model as Zero's?"

"I'm afraid not. This model was built for me specifically. Here, try the grip."

Taking the offered hilt, Axl frowned, trying to settle into a good grip. It was as if there were already grooves in the hilt where fingers had previously been.

Watching the shorter Reploid try and figure out the hilt, Telith smiled. "It's a memory latex. Confirms to my grip only."

Turning, X looked at Axl. "Axl, give her weapon back. We're almost to the teleporters."

The group stepped in one at a time and in the blink of an eye, they were standing in the ruins of a town near some mountainous landscape. Everything had an old, grayish tint to it.

Zero turned around, looking at the old, crumbling buildings and outdated technology. "Geeze…what a ghost town."

X nodded, his green eyes soft. "It must be a hundred years old…"

As the boys looked around, Blitz muttered softly. "It's two hundred and three years old."

She would know. This town had been a special place to Blitz 100 years ago.

Telith let the boys wander for a few more minutes before calling out. "All right, enough sightseeing. Let's find the source of that signal we found and get outta here."

And so, moments later, Blitz and Hannah led the way up a sheer rock face towards the cave that the signal was coming from. Pulling herself up on to a rock ledge, Blitz leaned over and helped the boys up.

Crouching, Zero drew a diagram in the dust. "The cave is here, and we're here. Now we don't know what's in this cave, so X and Axl, I want you two to stay and cover Telith, Blitz and I."

X nodded understandingly but Axl couldn't help but whine. "But why can't I go in? I don't wanna cover the entrance…this place is dead!"

The red Reploid opened his mouth to answer but X cut in. "Axl, it's our job to do what we are told to the best of our ability, even if it is just guarding the entrance to a cave."

The brunette Reploid smiled at Axl's childish pout of understanding and leaned over to Telith. "He's like a little kid."

"Yeah…a little kid who knows how to point and shoot a gun. But I know what you're getting at. He knows what has to be done, he just doesn't like to pushed aside for that to happen."

Clambering up, Telith took point with her blade drawn. Zero and Blitz were right behind, moving softly into the cave.

It was empty, save one form that was on the floor.

"Man down!" Zero cried, sheathing his blade and hurrying forward. Flipping the figure so it was face up, he beckoned to the other girls.

Moving closer, Blitz and Telith swallowed shock before kneeling by the body Zero was half cradling in his arms.

His blue eyes met theirs. "I think she's trying to say something…" He looked down at the Reploid in his arms. "Hey, can you tell me your name?"

The Reploid opened an eye that was sky blue. Moving just enough so that some of her golden blonde hair spilled out of Zero's grip, she nodded.

"S…Star…X…"


	7. Memories

Blitz and the rest of the group had returned to headquarters, where the new Reploid was being analyzed. Although she had been invited to help with the test, Blitz had solemnly refused, retreating to her private quarters, where she remained in something of a trance, staring blankly at the wall opposite her.

A knock on the door didn't rouse her from the peaceful stupor she was in, but Blitz called out. "Come on in Telith."

Stepping in, the blonde closed the door behind her and sighed. She carried several books in her arms. "You always know it's me, don't you?"

Smiling, Blitz nodded. "Sure do."

Sitting next to her friend, Telith spoke. "Look, if we're alone can I call you by your real name?"

"Fine."

"Good…." Casting a glance at her friend, the blonde tentatively brought up a dangerous subject. "BC…do you think that's…?  
"No doubt about it. That's Star."

"So you think…?"

"It's entirely possible that the others are awake and are trying to find their way into some sort of Maverick Hunters unit, yes."

Both girls were silent before the blonde shifted uncomfortably.

"You know…we never talk about the past any more."

"What's there to talk about?"

"BLITZ CHICK! You know perfectly well what I'm talking about!" The blonde slammed down one of the books to emphasize her point.

"What's the point Hannah!" Blitz Chick finally turned to face her friend. "It's been a hundred years since I saw him! He's gone!" A few tears glistened in her eyes.

Calming down, Hannah laid a hand on her friend's shoulder. "You miss him…don't you?"

Shaking her head, BC sighed. "He made me feel so…special. I don't know how else to put it. But neither of us wanted to get hurt…so we never took it farther than friends."

Sliding a book towards BC, Hannah's pale blue eyes sought Blitz Chick's deep blue ones. "Maybe it's time to stop running from the past and start looking it in the eyes."

Opening a book, Blitz Chick swallowed hard as it listed names of military officers. Glancing quickly at Hannah, she flipped through until she found the page she was looking for. The picture was a portrait of a man with light brown hair with a slight curl in it. His eyes were a chocolate brown color and seemed a bit mischievous.

Scanning the paragraph, Blitz Chick frowned. "Says he got in easily enough…he was a captain… but…" She blinked a few times. "Hannah, am I reading that right?"

Hannah nodded. "You are. It says he went missing in November."

Looking up in disbelief, the brunette felt the weight of realization slam into her. "Three months after we went to the future…my God… you don't think he…?"

The curly haired blonde shrugged. "It's totally possible that he made it. I mean, he was smart enough to figure it out on his own."

Blitz Chick leaned against the side of her bed, completely bewildered. Finally she looked at the other books. "What are those?"

Smiling softly, Hannah opened them. "I made these myself…It's all our friends…what happened to them after we left."

Putting the book between them, Blitz began to read.

"Shlee…went on to be a great novelist…"

"Coulda seen that one coming."

"Josh-sama was a great manga artist and story writer…that's good. He was always good at that."

"Yeah…we should see if we can find some of his manga."

"Yeah…look, Tony DID become a priest! I knew it!"

"You said he was going to become one, right BC?"

"I know, it just feels nice to be right. Oh, look! Courtney-senpai became one of the greatest manga and anime artists ever! I always knew she'd be the next Miazaki…"

Both girls were silent, thinking about the friends that they had left behind and what they had become.

"BC…we've really changed, haven't we?"

"Yes…I wonder if anyone would recognize us now…"

"Didn't we promise to never change? Right before we went into hibernation, we promised."

"I remember…"

"…There's still time to make good on that promise BC."

Blue eyes met.

"We'll do it together. You and me, Hannah!"

Grasping BC's hand in a firm grip, Hannah smiled, eyes sparkling. "You bet."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, the ending is a little abrupt, but the message is true. My senior friends are graduating, and this chapter is dedicated solely to them. If you are reading this, thank you for everything you've shown me and all you've done for me. I cannot thank you enough. Good luck out there in the world and I hope you never forget those of us who will forever look up to you.


	8. Story Time

While the two ladies were reflecting on the good times of their lives, Star X was conversing with Zero, who was showing her the ropes of Maverick Hunters HQ.

"And this is the Ops Room, where us hunters get debriefed." The red raider motioned to the spacious room. "Telith and Blitz usually work here. It was unusual that they were out on a recon mission with us."

Turning curious blue eyes to look at Zero, Star X blinked a few times. "Zero, who ARE those two?"

Giving the smaller Reploid a skeptical look, Zero cocked an eyebrow. "Well, that depends on what two people you're referring to." Chuckling after a moment, Zero motioned to Star X. "C'mon, I'll tell you the deal about Blitz and Telith."

Hurrying after her superior, Star X listened raptly as he spoke, weaving through lower level hunters and operators.

"Blitz and Telith…damn, I don't know where to start!"

Catching up to him, the blonde smiled at him. "Why not from the beginning?"

"Well…" Zero turned, nearly losing the other Reploid. "That's the whole problem. We don't know where they came from, or who made them and those two won't tell us!"

Surprised, Star X stopped dead in her tracks. Of course, this isn't a very wise thing to do in a crowded hallway. After apologizing profusely to the people who had run into her, Star X dashed after Zero. "Couldn't you just run a scan on their armor to determine who manufactured the metal and who built the actual armor?"

Chuckling, Zero patted Star X's helmet, making her pout stubbornly at him. "Trust me kiddo, X has tried numerous times to get a readout on their armor, to see if they were mass produced. But all he's come up with is that they're the only ones of their kind."

Feeling ever more confused, Star hurried to keep pace with Zero's long strides. "Wait, aren't all Reploids individually made?"

Sitting on a metal bench, Zero patted the space next to him. After Star X hesitantly sat down, he leaned forward, continuing his tale. "They used to be. A long, long time ago. I'm actually surprised you even know about that! But that was when the actual technology needed to produce a Reploid was so expensive only private industries could buy it and even then, it was only enough for one or two Reploids. Axl is like that."

"Axl…?"

"He's the one with the orange hair."

"Oh…"

"Reploids like that sometimes survive to make it until now, but sometimes they get outdated. That's because the person who built them didn't include a program that allowed the Reploid to learn how to change and grow."

Growing impatient, Star X fidgeted, wondering how all of this information would get back to the history of Telith and Blitz! They seemed so familiar…and yet, not.

Well, they should be familiar, seeing as Star had known them almost 100 years ago, but she doesn't know that, now does she?

Seeing the fellow Reploid shifting, Zero took a deep breath. "All right, all right…I went off on a tangent, my bad. Anyways, we don't know where those two came from, or who made them, but this is what we DO know."

"It was almost five years ago now, and we had a really big Maverick uprising. X, Axl and I were all dispatched to the scene to take care of them. But that's a lotta Mavericks for three of us to take down. We were fighting in a ruined downtown area, so we could use the buildings as cover, or to topple them on Mavericks. Even so, we go pushed back to a building we called 'The Alamo.' You know, after that really old building in Mexico or something. Bet you anything it's been bulldozed by the government for a skyscraper. Well, those Mavericks pushed us back all the way into the Alamo and we thought we were goners because it was just the three of us against nearly a hundred of them. Mind you," He wagged a finger at Star, " We were low on ammo and had been fighting for the past two and a half hours."

"So we're in this building, right? X and I are getting ready for our last stand while Axl's keeping watch, making sure the Mavericks don't try anything dirty. And all of a sudden, Axl starts yelling to us that there are two Reploids out there. So we get up to the second story for a better look and whadda you know, there are two chicks down there, surrounded by a hundred Mavericks but still as cool as can be. They didn't have their weapons out or anything!"

"They exchanged a few words, but we couldn't hear them because we were up high. Then both of them sorta exploded into the gang of Mavericks! It was a sight to see, let me tell you. In the span of a half hour, those two girls took down a hundred Mavericks. We went down there and offered them work at Maverick Hunters HQ and since then Telith and Blitz have been working with us."

Wide eyed, Star X had her hands clenched tightly in her lap, staring in awe at Zero. "Is that really true?"

Sitting up, Zero pointed at his face. "Is this the face of a liar? Of course it's true! I'll swear on a Bible if you want me to!"

Since she didn't have a Bible with her, Star couldn't have made him do that, but she smiled. "That's amazing!"

Zero nodded. "It is, isn't it? So what's the deal with you?" He looked directly at Star X's sky blue eyes. "Where do you come from? Who built you?"

Lowering her eyes, Star X flushed. "I…I…I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"Well, it's more like I can't remember. I try to remember anything before the moment I woke up and there's just…nothing. Absolutely blank!" Seeing Zero's slightly puzzled look, Star X clarified. "It's like amnesia, only you don't need to get hit on the head to have it."

"OHHH!"

A laugh sounded out from across the hall and both Reploids looked over to see Blitz making her way towards them. "Like amnesia but you don't need to hit on the head to get it…I like that!" She turned to Zero. "Do you mind if I borrow her for a while?"

Standing, Zero stretched his hands over his head. "Awright…Oh, Redips is thinking about having you as a permanent hunter! Just thought I should let you know." And with that, he strolled off.

Taking his seat, Blitz smiled at Star. "I don't think we've properly been introduced. I'm Blitz!" She held out her hand as if for a handshake.

Star X stared at it for a moment before slapping it in a high five. "Star X. Thanks for coming to find me out there…"

The grin on Blitz's face grew wider. "Ah, it's nothing. So you have no memory?"

Face falling, Star nodded miserably. "Yes…I feel so useless without memory! It's like if a tree falls in the forest, will it make a sound? If I go on without my memory, will that affect the rest of the hunters here?"

Sighing, Blitz leaned against the wall. "Do you want to know what I always say about trees falling in forests?"

"What do you say about that?"

With a perfectly serious look on her face, Blitz turned, holding up one finger as she spoke.

"When life gives you lemons, make orange juice. When life gives you oranges, make apple juice. When life gives you apples, make cranberry-strawberry punch. And when life gives you cranberries and strawberries, ask yourself if a tree falls in the forest, will it make a sound?"

The silence that followed lasted only a minute, but felt like a month. Finally, Star X spoke.

"HOW DO YOU GET THAT!"

Putting her hands up by her shoulders, Blitz smiled. "It's simple. Life will give you lemons when you need oranges, so you find a way to turn lemons into orange juice. And when you're given a combination that you don't need, ask yourself if when you combine them, will it seriously affect the way you live your life."

Star thought about this for a while before smiling. "I get it!"

Patting the other Reploid's helmet, the brunette smiled. "I knew you would." She stood. "Well, I guess Zero showed you the ropes, huh?"

The blonde nodded, her blue eyes locked on the older hunter. She seemed so familiar…!

Putting her hands on her hips, Blitz looked down at the other Reploid. "Then I don't have anything else to say to you right now. Let me know if you're having trouble."

Before Blitz could get a few feet, Star's voice called out from behind her.

"WAIT!"

Turning, the brunette looked over at Star, who was gazing at her urgently. "Do…Have…Have we ever met before?"

Blitz stared. She wanted to tell her…to talk with her creation again…share memories and have things back the way they used to be…but what was the point? Her memory was erased, and nothing could bring it back.

So she smiled. A soft smile; one that resembled the Mona Lisa's. "No. Not in this life Star."


	9. Reunion

The next day was just as uneventful as the last. Star X began basic training with the buster she had been equipped with, and Blitz was confirmed as a class S hunter. It was Saturday that things began to pick up around the base.

It had started off like any other day. Hunters were in the café, getting ready for the day or eating if they wished. Star X, Zero, Axl, Telith, X and Blitz were all sitting together when Blitz abruptly stopped talking and pressed a hand to a hearing receptor.

"Uh-huh…yeah…. got it…. no, no, it's not a problem…we'll be right up…Yes. I understand. Right… okay." Looking back at her friends, Blitz's blue eyes were serious. "We gotta go to the debriefing room. That was Alia and apparently, it's something really big."

As they headed up, Telith walked with Star X, who spoke softly with the curly haired blonde. "Hey Telith, what's up with Blitz? I've never seen her like this before."

Shaking her head, eyeing the back of her partner's head. "Neither have I Star. There must be something big going on though."

Upon reaching the Ops room, the first word Zero would have used to describe it was chaos. All available operators were manning computers, people were running papers back and forth, and Alia looked swamped. Glancing up, she smiled wearily at the group.

"Oh, I'm so glad you got here. This is really big. We just received word that Sigma has attacked again."

While X, Zero and Axl took this quietly, Blitz and Telith didn't. Telith swore as loud as she could, making several of the younger operators go red in the face and the older ones raised their eyebrows at her.

Blitz used a more subtle approach, which was speaking in another language. "_Madre de dios… _You're sure it's Sigma?"

"Well, seeing as he was standing on a building yelling something about another maverick uprising while mavericks bearing the sigma symbol swarmed the street, yeah, we're pretty sure it's him." Remarked Alia, who seemed a little agitated.

X recognized this, and either in a gesture of comfort or an attempt to spare the lives of his comrades, began to massage Alia's shoulders. "Calm down Alia…We'll take care of it. We've done this in the past, and we can do it now!"

Shaking her head, Alia allowed X to relax her. "No…we already lost a whole squadron of class one hunters to his army already…"

"WHAT!" Axl exclaimed, green eyes wide. "Why weren't we told about this!"

As the red headed hunter argued with the blonde operator, Star X plucked at Zero's arm, standing on tiptoe to speak softly in his ear. "Zero, what's a class one hunter? And who's Sigma?"

Still keeping his voice low, Zero replied. "A class one hunter is the level below a class S. From what I've seen of your skills in the training holo, I'd say you're a class one or two. A little rusty, but you'll get there."

"And Sigma?"

"Oh, right. Sigma is a traitor to Maverick Hunters HQ. He used to be a general here, but then he turned on us and led the first Maverick uprising and we've been fighting him ever since."

"Oh…" Star looked back to where Blitz and Telith had managed to separate the feuding Reploids. "What're we gonna do?"

Smoothing her bangs, Alia met Star's concerned blue eyes. "I called some other hunter bases and requested any available hunters. I have two coming in from the eastern base at any moment now. They're the only class S hunters I could get a hold of right now, and the eastern base is sending over a couple platoons of troops later. North base and west base aren't replying, but we're trying to get through."

Zero was a little skeptical about the incoming S hunters though. What if one of them upstaged him! "Alia…what's the deal on these class S hunters that are coming in? I mean, we have no idea what their track record is!"

Telith spoke up while holding back a struggling Axl. "Zero, if they're class S, I think that their track record should be pretty good."

A younger operator scurried over to the group, throwing a quick salute. "Alia, the hunters are here."

Nodding, Alia closed her eyes. "All right, send them up for debriefing. Once we're done with that, you guys are headed out there to establish a defensive perimeter."

Only a few moments later, the doors to the Ops room opened and Blitz had to take a seat. _What are the odds of this happening?_

The first hunter to enter was tall, with raven colored armor. Thick bands of gold accented the edges of his armor. His hair was a misty purple, and pulled into a little ponytail at the nape of his neck. Two stripes of purple ran up from his cheekbone to the bottom eyelid. Ruby colored eyes sparkled roguishly at the group and he carried a helmet with two unmistakable fins under his arm.

He winked at the group and ruffled Axl's hair as he passed. "Yo." Remarked the new hunter.

The second hunter was quiet as he entered. A pair of dark sunglasses hid his eyes, and he had pulled his yellow scarf up to hide his mouth. All in all, he vaguely resembled Zero in design. Minus the long hair and sword. He stopped at the edge of the group and nodded, still remaining silent.

Star X turned light pink at the sight of him.

The ebony Reploid spoke first. "Well, I guess you guys are the hunters we're gonna work with? Let me guess…" He began to point to each member in turn. "Zero, X, Axl, Alia, Telith, Blitz and…" Standing, he approached Star X. "…I daresay I don't know your name!"

Extending a hand, Star X met his eyes with a smile. "Star X. It's a pleasure to meet another Class S hunter."

He took the hand and smiled down at her. It was a roughish, lopsided smile, but a sincere one nonetheless. "The name's Forte. Fortissimo is my real name, but Forte's shorter. And that over there is my partner, Prometheus. He doesn't talk much, but don't let that discourage you. He's a real sweetheart on the inside."

"Forte, if you call me a sweetheart again I'm going to rip out your skull and beat you with it."

Zero lit up. "I like him already!"

Blitz leaned over to Telith. "I do not believe it…" She whispered, "The whole gang's back together again!"

Chuckling, Telith shook her head. "And we're the only ones who know it."

Once everyone was acquainted, Alia began the briefing. "All right. We want to set up a perimeter so the Mavericks don't make any more progress towards HQ. If you can, we would like anywhere between a one to one and a half mile radius. When you're established, contact us and we'll send in reinforcements. Is everyone clear?"

Prometheus was checking the sight on his sniper rifle. "Just find me a place to snipe and we'll be fine."

Sighing, Alia surveyed the group. "There are eight of you, I'll split you up into four groups of two. X, you go with Zero."

The two exchanged high fives and grins.

"Blitz, you get to go with Telith."

Both girls pounded fists before listening to Alia once more.

"Fortissimo…

"FORTE!"

"…I'd like you to go with Axl. And Prometheus, you'll be going with Star X."

Each group stood and paired off to head to their designated spot. Axl bounded alongside Forte, fascinated by the other hunter. Chuckling, Forte eyed the younger redhead. "So…what's your weapon kiddo?"

Smiling, Axl whipped out his dual pistols. "Pistols! I'm the fastest shot in the whole base! And I can copy other Reploid's abilities once I've beaten them. What's your weapon?"

In reply, Forte drew out what looked like a coil of glowing chain with a handle on one end and a large point on the other. As he held it loosely looped around his hand, it seemed to pulse an electric purple. "This, my friend, is my chain sword. Great for long range and close range. Sorta like a whip, but it's got a point at the end, see?"

Star X hung back to walk with Prometheus. He was quiet, but he seemed gentle enough. Blushing, she lowered her eyes. "H-Hi…"

Glancing across, Prometheus blinked before staring straight ahead. "Hello."

Smiling a little bit, Star began to talk a little more. "I'm Star X."

"Prometheus."

"So you're a sniper?"

"Yes."

"Are you any good?"

Sighting through the scope, Prometheus remained almost emotionless. "I can kill a man at over 200 yards. They never see it coming."

Awestruck, Star X tripped over her feet a little bit. "Wow…easy to see why you're class S!"

"Aren't you?"

Stunned by the question, Star X shook her head. "N-No. I'm only a class one. Or two. They didn't really classify me…I've only been here a few days."

Silent, Prometheus huffed. "Keh. I have to work with the newbie."

Although she thought the crimson hunter was quite handsome, the blonde huntress felt her temper flare. "And what does THAT mean?"

Without another word, Prometheus stalked off towards the front of the group.

Star X started forward but Forte put a hand on her shoulder. "Sorry…I should've warned you about this. See, Prometheus is a bit stingy about who he works with. He'll never work with anyone less than a class S. Give him a little time. He'll warm up to you."

Face falling, Star X nodded. "Oh…thanks, I guess."

As they reached the teleporter, Blitz smiled at the group. "Best of luck. To all of you!"

X and Zero were the first to go, beaming out in twin beams of red and blue, respectively. Fortissimo and Axl were next, grinning as they went. After them went Star X and Prometheus, the blonde determined.

Last to go were the two ladies. Telith had her beam saber out, and Blitz was stretching her arms.

"Ready to do this thing Telly?'

"Eh, why not. I don't have anything better to do today."

Grinning widely, the two exchanged high fives before teleporting into the fray.


	10. First Strike

100 years ago, Blitz Chick and her friends had a plan of attack. It was one that rarely ever failed them. Go in, start hitting people hard in the face, and see where it took them

One hundred years had passed, and the plan still worked.

The brunette Reploid spun, kicking out at any poor Maverick foolish enough to approach her. Her fists were blurs of blue and yellow, and she moved as fast as lightning.

Telith's beam saber cut a pattern through the rouge Reploids. Left, then right. Up, then right diagonal down. And again, she moved as elegantly as a dancer, sweeping and sliding.

Performing a complicated flying kick, Blitz eyed Telith. "Can you see how the others are doing Telly?"

The blonde smiled. They always used nicknames in battle. Blitz once more became BC and Telith shortened to a familiar 'Telly.'

"I dunno." Another slash at a Maverick, who reeled to the ground, a gash across his whole body. "Could you give me a boost?"

And so, like they did in old times, Blitz cupped her hands low, feeling the weight of her friend as she stepped into them. And it wasn't just a physical weight either. It was the weight of trust. She trusted her to be there when she went up to cover her back, and she trusted her to be there when she came down.

While soaring up into the air, Telith held her blade at the ready and looked around.

* * *

Star X was having a great time. She found that she could exert some unspent anger over Prometheus's comment on the unsuspecting Mavericks. Her fury increased every time Prometheus fired a shot, reminding her of how superior he thought he was.

_How dare he!_ Thought the blonde Reploid. _Just because I'm only a class one doesn't make him all that better than me!_ Growling fiercely, she rammed her buster into the face of a Maverick and fired, moving on to the next set of evildoers.

In the shelter of a crumbling building, Prometheus sighted through the scope of his sniper rifle and caught a glimpse of Star X as he picked his next target. The Reploid's face was furious and it seemed she was yelling as she fought tooth and claw.

_She fights with far too much emotion. That is why she's class one and I am class S._ The ice cold Reploid thought as he fired, watching as the shot skimmed inches from Star X's arm. She turned and furiously gave him the finger. He just sought out a new target.

Abruptly he froze. Someone else was in the room. Whirling, he saw a horribly beaten maverick. He was snarling and drooling and seemed ready to kill. Freezing up, Prometheus tried to move, make a sound, fire his gun…anything. But his body seemed to not obey him.

And then the Maverick reeled backwards, a hole punched through his chest. Looking down into the fray, Prometheus spotted a lone figure standing on a ruined car, smoking buster pointed at his hiding spot. Her hair fluttered in the wind and her eyes blazed hard before she re-entered the fray.

For a long time, Prometheus just watched her fight, a whirlwind of blue and green among reds and browns.

Maybe…maybe he could learn something from this Reploid.

* * *

Fortissimo and Axl were faring slightly better than their comrades. The duo had taken residence in an abandoned office building and was attacking from the second floor.

The raven Reploid's chain rod was deadly from his vantage point. He would fire it at the mob and spear some Mavericks. Maybe a couple mavericks at a time if he was lucky.

Axl would use his sharp shooting skills and pick off the rouges. On occasion the two would exchange a few words and one or the other would leave the shelter for some melee combat. More often it was Fortissimo, seeing as his chain rod could be more deadly up close than at a distance. Over all, they seemed to be faring quite well.

* * *

Blitz was relieved when Telith landed lightly, cleaving a Maverick in half as she did so.

"What's the verdict?"

"It looks like everyone's doing okay. How are you holding up BC?"

Blocking a punch, Blitz nailed the Maverick with a roundhouse kick. "I'll last a little while longer, but not much. Any news from Alia?"

Putting a hand to her hearing receptors, Telith was silent before looking to Blitz. "She says that they're trying to get troops out here soon. We just have to keep them occupied a little while longer."

Telith turned to assure her partner, but found that Blitz was no longer there. Instead, she had been buried under a swarm of Mavericks. The only sign she was still functioning was the fact that every so often a fist or foot would break through.

"BC!" Slicing at the horde, Telith was eventually able to extract her friend and pull her to safety. Blade at the ready, the blonde examined her partner. "Are you okay BC?"

The brunette had little more than enough time to nod before the mavericks charged.

"FIRE!"

Shot rained down like deadly hail, causing the two girls to cover their eyes and shield their faces. Once the smoke receded, the duo chanced a look.

Just as Alia said, a whole platoon of troops was stationed in, around and even on top of buildings. Turning, the two girls watched the Mavericks retreat back into the ruined city.

With a sigh of relief, Blitz Chick pushed some hair out of her eyes. "Glad that's over." She muttered.

"No…" Telith replied, standing and sheathing her sword. "It's actually just begun."


	11. New Developments

A tense cease-fire had been established on the battlefield. On one side, the Maverick Hunter's HQ had established a parameter almost two miles from the main base. Troops occupied the buildings and alleyways along the border of their land. An almost flat, two mile wide section was the neutral ground and on the other side was the opposing Maverick force.

At the moment, the group of Class S hunters were being looked over by medical expert, Lifesaver.

"I'm FINE!" Blitz and Star X proclaimed loudly as he instructed them to sit still.

Sighing, the brunette smiled at Star. "Well, there's not much we can do if Lifesaver says sit still. What he says always goes."

Growling, Star clenched her hands into fists. "But there's a battle to be fought! Mavericks are out there, killing innocent people! They need to be stopped Blitz!" She turned her gaze to meet Blitz's. "So why can't I go fight them?"

Shaking her head, Blitz leaned against the wall. "It's fighting Star, but its more than that. You have to think strategy. You have to think about the troops. Just because you're not tired doesn't mean other people aren't." Smiling softly, she sighed. "I once thought only about me. When I was younger. I put those I loved in danger because of it. I made hard decisions in order to protect them."

Staring at the blue and gold Reploid, Star X noted the look of sorrow on her face. What had she had to do that hurt her so much? Had someone died because of her actions?

Just outside the room, Fortissimo confronted Prometheus. He glared at the ice cold Reploid, his red eyes gleaming.

"You can't let it go, can you Prometheus? That whole rank thing."

Prometheus wouldn't meet the ebony Reploid's eyes.

"GOD! They're going to promote her soon enough Prometheus." Forte stared solidly at the shades of his partner. "And when they do, she'll be your level. Someone as strong, or stronger than you. And you'll have to work with her! How do you think she'll feel then, when you snubbed her earlier?"

The crimson Reploid turned away, his yellow scarf moving slightly, showing that he knew how she'd feel.

"_EXACTLY._ Now, as I see it, you have two options. One, you can go on thinking she's inferior and make working with her all that harder or, you have option two." Crossing his arms, Forte was solemn. "You can apologize. It's painless, and you can clear this up as soon as possible." Turning, he moved away. "It's your choice Prometheus."

After Forte had disappeared, Prometheus turned and cast a glance in. Star X was listening intently to Blitz. Odd, the sight of them talking together was somehow familiar. Taking a deep breath, Prometheus was about to call out to her when Telith burst into the room, grinning.

"Blitz! Guess what? You and I are going on patrol!"

The brunette looked up, surprised. "Now?"

"Yes, now! Lifesaver says you're clear to go as long as you come back as soon as we're done." Star X rose to go but Telith wagged a finger at her. "No, not you. He's not done with you yet. You've got to stay here."

Prometheus shrank back from the door. Apparently he wouldn't talk with her now. Later…yes, he would do it later.

Blitz and Telith were bright dots of color against the crumbling gray remains of buildings and cars. Kicking at a fallen stop sign, Blitz stared up at Telith, who was perched on top of a car.

"So what exactly are we looking for anyways?"

Laughing lightly, Telith leapt down, pouncing on the chest of a fallen Maverick. "Anything that moves or looks remotely Maverick."

Sighing, Blitz shook her head. "I'm not surprised." Then she eyed the blonde. "Lifesaver didn't REALLY give you permission to take me out on patrol, did he?"

Smirking, Telith noted that they were entering the battlefield from that morning. "Maybe…"

"TELITH!"

"Oh, you're fine and we both know it. I was just…just…"

"Creatively liberating me?"

"Yes, exactly."

Sighing, Blitz massaged her temples. "You realize that I'm not going to cover for you this time, right?"

Telith did not answer. Something had caught her attention.

"Telly?" Blitz looked over at her partner. "Hannah. Hannah, are you listening to me?"

Clearly not having heard, Telith beckoned Blitz over. "BC…isn't this where we fought earlier?"

Exasperated, Blitz drew level with her friend. "Yes, it is Telly. Why?"

"Weren't there more Maverick corpses…?"

Studying the field, Blitz felt curiosity rising. "Yeah…you're right!" She stared at the field. "But…if there were more…"

"Where'd they go?" Completed Hannah, who was examining a body. "I mean, it's not like a corpse can just get up and walk away!"

"Or can they?" Mused BC, who was staring at a patch of dirt. "Check this out Telly!" She pointed, tracing her fingers over what she had found. "Footprints. And not mine or yours either."

Staring at the track, Hannah bit her lip. "We've got to tell Alia and Colonel Redips. This is big news."

A sixth sense abruptly went off in Blitz's head. Whirling around, she curled her hands into fists.

Several yards away, a crumbled section of wall shifted a few times before it was blown off, sending a plume of dust into the air.

Immediately, Hannah grabbed the hilt of her blade but Blitz held up a hand.

"Wait…" She squinted into the dust. "I don't think its Maverick…"

As the dust settled the girls could identify a figure straightening up. The basic body build wasn't small enough to be a female, and both girls knew fighting with guys was harder than fighting with girls. Even so, there was a different feel about this person.

The last dust motes settled and the figure turned to the girls. His hair was a pale brown, and his eyes were a deep brown to match. He stared at the two for a moment before speaking.

"Are you two Maverick Hunters?"

Blitz felt herself grow weak. She swayed on the spot, not taking her eyes off the stranger for a moment.

Noticing this, the brown-eyed brunette looked at Blitz. "Are you all right?"

Still swaying dangerously, Blitz almost smiled. "You're…alive." And with that, the gold and blue Reploid crumpled to the ground, unconscious.


	12. Dante

Blitz awoke in the medical bay. Lifesaver wasn't present, which probably meant he was either chewing Telith out or examining the new guy. After a few moments of simple breathing and blinking and stretching of the fingers, the brunette swung her legs over the side of the bed and looked around.

The medical bay was like a really long hallway, with cabinets and counters on one side and beds on the other. There were doors on each end and one in the middle.

On the counter across from Blitz's bed, there was a large stack of papers and files. Walking over, Blitz plucked a note off the top and read it out loud.

"_Blitz, I'm not here right now. I've got to look at Star X's buster. There's a chunk of Maverick stuck up there and it's hurting her. If you can, please take these up to Alia's office and drop them off for me. Lifesaver._" Crumpling the note, Blitz sighed. Sliding the heavy pile into her arms, Blitz headed off.

The hallways were deserted and Blitz found the quiet fairly nice. It gave her time to think. Mostly about the new guy.

_The similarities are there…but is it really him? Any Reploid or Maverick could look like him if they wanted to. But if it is…will he remember me? He didn't seem to then, but maybe…I wonder if Hannah spoke with him. Or Lifesaver for that matter. Jeeze, how badly did Lifesaver chew out Hannah? I mean, it was partly my fault, seeing as I went along with her but still…I wish I could've explained or something._

Roughly, the brunette was jerked out of her thoughts as someone walked into her, sending papers flying into the air, fluttering to the floor like leaves.

"Oh!" Dropping to her knees, Blitz tried to sweep the papers back into a neat pile when a folder dropped onto her head, shadowing her eyes.

A hand reached under a flap of the folder and lifted it off of Blitz's head, revealing her blushing features.

"Sorry, didn't see you there. Are you all right?"

Glancing up, Blitz found her blue eyes locked with the new guy's brown ones. Nodding dumbly she couldn't help but stare, hugging the few papers she had still in her arms to her chest.

Sweeping up a few papers, the new guy smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I wasn't really watching where I was going…" Then he paused, looking at Blitz. "Hey, you're the hunter who passed out when you found me!"

"Wha- oh…" Blitz turned a deeper red. "Yeah…"

He stared at her again. "Are you okay? Your partner, Telith…she seemed really worried about you."

Gathering up some papers, the blue-eyed brunette smiled. "I'm fine. I'd just had a few strong shocks to my system…I guess it was too much though. I'll have to thank Telith for worrying…she's a good partner."

Nodding, the brown-eyed brunette made a slightly messy pile in front of him. "Oh!" He looked up from straightening the pile. "We haven't met yet…I'm Dante." He held out a hand.

Taking the hand, Blitz smiled brightly. "Blitz."

"Nice to meet you Blitz."

"Likewise!" Replied the huntress, straightening with a pile of reassembled folders in her arms.

Standing, Dante held the other half. "Why don't I carry these for you? Where are you going anyways?"

"Thanks…" Remarked Blitz as she headed off again. "I was actually on my way to Alia's office. Have you met Alia yet?"

"Blonde, wears a lot of pink?"

"That's her!"

"Yep. I met her already. Are these papers important or anything?"

Flipping through a couple, Blitz shook her head. "Nah…all the really important stuff is encoded and sent through the computer system. This is just summaries of missions and other stuff…mostly reconnaissance."

An awkward silence descended upon the two. Only the sound of their feet on the steel floors broke the quiet.

Glancing sideways, Blitz took in Dante's appearance. He wore a floor length black trench coat. On his hands he wore gloves with the fingers cut off. Surprisingly, he wore no headgear

Seeing Blitz watching, Dante smiled. "Wondering where my weapons are?"

Starting, Blitz met his eyes. "Oh, I-I suppose…"

Pulling back his trench coat, Dante showed her a beam saber like Hannah's and a single gold plated gun in its holster. Drawing the gun, he twirled it on his index finger.

"It's gold plated, see? Just like…"

"Vincent Valentine's." They both said at the same time. Then the pair stared.

"You recognize it?"

Smiling, Blitz took the gun and turned it over in her hands. "Of course I do! I love Vincent!"

Looking excited, Dante re-holstered the gun. "Have you watched Final Fantasy Advent Children?"

"I love that movie!"

"Me too!"

"No way! I thought I was the only person aside from Telith who liked that movie…"

"No! It's still amazing, even if it's a hundred years old!"

Dropping the papers off, Blitz and Dante walked a little further until they found themselves outside Blitz's room.

Pushing open the door, Blitz eyed Dante. "C'mon in! It's not that neat, but…" She shrugged, flopping onto the bed. "It's home."

Sitting on the end of the bed, Dante looked around. "It's nice."

Sitting up, Blitz watched him. "That's right, you don't have a room yet. Don't worry though, Lifesaver will find you one. He's cool like that."

After the pair talked for a little while, Blitz decided to ask him a question that would either confirm or disprove her hunch.

"Dante…What're you doing here? Right now Maverick Hunter's HQ is in the middle of a war…"

Sighing, Dante looked at the ceiling. "I'm looking for someone. I was hoping the Maverick Hunters could help me find them…here." He pulled out a picture and handed it to Blitz. "This is who I'm looking for."

Taking the photograph, the blue eyed girl felt as though her heart would burst out of her chest. In the picture, a boy with light brown hair and brown eyes had his arm around a smiling girl with brown hair that was tied back with a pink ribbon.

"Blitz Chick…" Breathed the blue-eyed girl, recalling her name from 100 years past.

"You know her?" Asked Dante, taking the picture back and tucking it into his trench coat.

Shaking her head, Blitz could hardly believe what was going on. "No…I head the name around the base though, and I've come across it in some files, but nothing more than that."

"Oh…" Dante said, sounding disappointed. "I thought you might…I mean, you look a lot like her, but…It's too much to hope that she made it to the age of Reploids."

Looking away for a moment, Blitz felt awkward, but she had to ask, "What happened to her? Who was she?"

Smiling, Dante looked to Blitz. "She was a great scientist! Specialized in robotics…Dr. Light had her as an apprentice! Blitz Chick was amazing…she invented some great weapons that never were used. Rumor has it; she even made some kind of technology that created simulated lightning! But the government didn't like that, so they chased her and her robot helpers out of her labs and nobody's ever seen her since."

"Oh…" Blitz looked at the palms of her hands. When the story was put that way, her heroic escape seemed cowardly.

The door creaked. Both Reploids looked up to see Telith poking her head in. She blinked a few times.

"The door was open. I hope I'm not interrupting anything, because if I am…"

"No!" Dante exclaimed, standing. "I was going to leave anyways…" He turned back to Blitz, smiling. "It's been nice meeting you. Maybe I'll see you around."

"Right…" Muttered Blitz as she watched him go.

Telith sat down next to Blitz and smirked at the look on her partner's face.

"So it's really him, isn't it?"

"Yeah…"

"Does he know?"

"About me?"

"Yes."

"Well, no…. but he is looking for me."

"Awwww…"

Elbowing her friend in the ribs, Blitz lay down, putting her head on the pillows. "C'mon Hannah, I don't even know if he still feels the same way."

"He's looking for you! Isn't that proof enough?" The blonde exclaimed, staring at Blitz.

"I don't know…it should be but…things are so different now. I don't know how to feel anymore."

"You have to tell him BC. Otherwise, what's the point?"

Sitting up, BC stared at Hannah. "I can't just abandon you for him!"

Smiling, Hannah threw an arm around Blitz's shoulders. "Look, I may be fierce, but a curly haired, blue eyed blonde isn't that great of a protector."

"HEY!" Exclaimed the brunette, indignant.

"No offense BC, but I'm a hell of a better fighter than you when you don't have your lightning tech."

"Touché."

"Now a curly haired brunette wearing a trench coat is a MUCH better guard for you."

Smiling, BC felt herself blush a little. "Okay, okay…. I get it."

Standing, Telith stretched, grinning. "You're smart like that BC. Hey, we've got a briefing in the morning with Alia. I'll see you then?"

"You know it."

"Great." Winking, Hannah had a hand on the door. "Don't sweat it BC. Just tell him the truth."

As the door shut, BC put her hands behind her head and sighed. "You always make it sound so simple Hannah…"


	13. New Dangers

AUTHOR'S NOTE: TA-DAAAH! I have returned! Well, there's a good reason I haven't updated in forever. My computer's hard drive crashed. Everything I had was obliterated. Completely gone. Which included all my fanfictions. Trust me, I had a heck of a time trying to get them back! Plus school starts soon and a friend of mine is turning 17. So that's why I haven't updated. That, and I still have to read the last half of my summer reading.

Dante awoke to see the sun poking pale pink fingers into the sky. Smiling blearily, he stood and dressed, making sure to keep his picture of Blitz Chick on hand.

As he descended into the main hall, he paused. Someone was making noise in the training room. But who could be up so early?

Curious, the brunette altered his path and entered the access code for the training room. He blinked in surprise.

At the far end of the room, Blitz was repeatedly passing a volleyball against the wall. It was an almost fascinating process though. She would pass, then set, then pass again.

After a moment, she caught the ball over her head and turned to Dante. "I didn't think you'd be up this early."

Shrugging, Dante strode over, hands in the pockets of his trench. "I didn't think you'd be either."

"Touché." Remarked the blue eyed Reploid. Smiling sheepishly, she explained. "I use this room early in the mornings for practice. Nobody else will practice with me, so I have to do it by myself."

Motioning for the ball, Dante caught it deftly and turned it over in his hands. "Would you like it if I helped you practice?"

Raising an eyebrow, Blitz smirked. "Well, you're gonna have to play me."

"Play you?"

Striding over to a wall computer, Blitz typed in a command and almost instantly hologram projectors turned the room into a volleyball court.

Turning back to Dante, the brunette smiled. "Yes. Three hits on each side max. Full court range, no cheating, we play till five, and you serve first."

Taken aback, Dante looked at her. "Why me?"

"You've got the ball."

Backing up to the end line, Dante watched Blitz get set. She settled into the middle of the back row, where Blitz Chick had always been when she played.

Tossing the ball up, Dante swung, sending the ball soaring towards the front left corner of Blitz's court. He smirked. She would never be able to make it from the back row.

But like a bolt of lightning, she was there, popping the ball high up into the air. With practiced ease, Blitz let the ball fall back into her upheld hands before setting it back up. Then, she leapt and swung, sending the ball back into Dante's court.

The brown eyed boy barely had time to react. He dove for it, but the ball just kissed the court not an inch from his outstretched hand before rocketing away.

Looking over, he saw Blitz standing by the net, smirking. She arched her eyebrows. "I didn't cheat." After a moment she laughed though. "I'll ease up, okay? How's that sound?"

"Much appreciated…" Dante muttered, retrieving the ball and standing at the end line.

So for the next hour the two Reploids battled it out on the court. Blitz had said she would ease up, but she was still pretty tough. Dante was holding his own though, scoring some points against his brunette opponent. When the match ended though, it was Blitz who came out on top.

Smiling, the blue eyed girl approached Dante as the hologram disappeared. "You're not too bad Dante. I think with a little practice you could be someone I'll have to watch out for." She extended a hand.

Taking the hand offered to him, Dante smiled back. "You're not all that bad yourself."

Blitz flushed pink. "It's nothing really…just a lot of practice. Hey, you want to go get some breakfast? It's still early so we should have the place to ourselves…"

Brightening, Dante followed Blitz to the door. "Sounds great!"

As the duo sat in the abandoned café, they talked at length about anything and everything. Finally Dante set down his cup of coffee and leveled his gaze at Blitz. "So what's your story? Where do you come from? Who built you?"

Almost choking on her own drink, Blitz set her mug down and stared at Dante. "You sure you're ready for this?"

"Sure."

Sighing, Blitz put her hands around her mug. "There's not much I remember. I don't know who built me and I don't know where I come from. I'll tell you what I do know for sure though. Telith and I have been together as long as I can remember. We're stuck to each other like glue. But we've decided that we're partners, no matter what. So we set off. Man…we went EVERYWHERE. From coast to coast, we saw everything. But eventually we got tired of roaming. So we came back here and joined up with Maverick Hunters HQ."

"So just how old are you?"

"Fifteen."

"No, really. Your age from when you were created till now."

"You want me to guess? I'd say…" The brunette frowned for a moment. "…one hundred and fifteen years. But fifteen if you really want to know."

After a quick moment of mental math, Dante's jaw dropped. "You were built during the time of Blitz Chick!"

Blitz blinked, then grinned. "I suppose I was. I don't really remember it though, so it's no use asking me about it."

Glancing at the clock, Blitz yelped. "OMIGOD! I've got to get to a briefing! I'm so sorry to do this to you…"

Standing, Dante finished his drink. "No, it's fine. I've got to go to the briefing too, so we can go together."

Within moments the duo entered the briefing room. Dante sat next to Zero while Blitz sat next to Telith.

"Well look at you two…"

"Shut up Telly. We had breakfast and that's it."

"That's all?"

"That's all."

"Good morning hunters." Alia stood at the head of the table, looking as professional as ever. "I'll be brief with you. Sigma is back, and he's got a new trick up his sleeve."

A hologram projector in the middle of the table activated, producing a 3-D image of a maverick.

"This looks like your standard Maverick but if you were to take it apart, there's been some fundamental changes."

The hologram maverick's armor opened up and Alia explained.

"This new breed of Mavericks is able to function even with severe injuries, like most sentient Reploids. But these new mavericks are programmed with only one purpose; kill everything in sight. Even more astounding is that given several days, they will repair themselves.

Zero held up a hand. "Wait, so you're telling us that we're up against baddies who won't stop and are practically invincible."

"Yes."

"So basically you're telling us we're royally screwed."

"Not quite." Pulling out a pointer, Alia trained it on the central processor of the maverick. "You can kill these by one of two ways. First way to do so is to destroy the central processor."

Dante was curious. "And the other way?"

Retracting the pointer, Alia trained her blue eyes on Dante. "An electric shock or pulse. That would in turn overload the entire system. Unfortunately, we don't have that kind of technology."

Telith nudged Blitz, whose mouth had dropped open. Shutting her mouth, the brunette met Telith' eyes.

Before the two could speak to each other, X spoke up. "WE don't have any technology of that sort Alia, but I know someone who DOES! Blitz Chick!"

Blitz stopped the idea though. "It's a good thought X, but all of Blitz Chick's data on her research was lost 100 years ago. Nobody's ever found even traces of it, or Blitz Chick herself."

Telith rose. "She's got a point. So from here on out we'll have to do this the old fashioned way." She drew her blade and pointed it at the hologram. "RUN 'EM THROUGH!"

Zero pumped his fist while Alia sighed. "Very nicely put…But that's all we can do for now. Until we know more, we're not launching an attack. Just holding a defensive front. Meeting adjourned."

As Alia left, the ten Reploids in the room turned to each other. Blitz spoke first. "Right. Telith and I will try to find an electrical charge for your weapons."

Fortissimo nodded deftly. "Much appreciated Blitz. Axl and I will begin to inform and re-train the troops."

X smiled. "I'll stay here and see if I can recover any data on Blitz Chick, since it seems her research on lightning technology seems so important now."

Zero clapped Dante on the shoulder. "Fine. Dante and I will stay on the battle front to make sure Sigma doesn't try anything funny." He turned to Star X and Prometheus. "Why don't you two go back to Abnormal Labs and see if there's anything there on Blitz Chick or her whereabouts?"

Shooting each other heated looks, Prometheus an Star X stormed off to the teleporters, saying nothing.

Watching them go, Blitz shook her head and sighed. Standing next to her, Telith spoke the words that were unsaid by her brunette partner.

"They're doomed."


	14. Lost Love

Hours passed. Dante and Zero were bonding on the roof of a building while sharing lunch.

"So let me get this straight…" Remarked Zero, watching Dante intently. "You knew Blitz Chick 100 years ago."

"Right."

"And you came to the future to find her."

"Right."

"All because you were her boyfriend and you're still in love with her."

"Yeah, that's about right."

The blonde stared at Dante incredulously. "Do you have ANY idea how insane that sounds?"

Chuckling, Dante smiled. "Yeah, I know. But I just can't shake the feeling she's still out there somewhere…and I hope she still thinks of me."

Sighing, Zero toyed with his saber. "Look, 100 years is a long time for anyone; even Reploids. You sure she's still in love with you?"

"I don't know…" Dante said, lowering his voice. "Truth is, I think I might be falling for someone else…"

Opening his mouth to ask a question, Zero changed his mind and instead pointed to the ground below. "Hey, look. It's Blitz." He waved his arm. "YO! Blitz!"

Down on the ground, Blitz looked up at them, smiled and waved cheerily at Zero and Dante despite the pile of electrical appliances in her arms.

Above, Dante felt his face grow hot as he waved back.

Taking one look at his partner, Zero practically burst out laughing. "I get it! You're in love with Blitz!"

"NOT SO LOUD!" Hissed Dante, even though Blitz was already out of hearing range.

Zero quieted down, but he couldn't help but chuckle. "Man, you've got some FINE taste in women, can I tell ya that? Nobody's been able to even talk Blitz into dinner with a guy! Nobody! And I'd know, I've tried. She's as hard to catch as they come! You've gotta be stark raving mad to go after her!"

Putting his head in his hands, Dante sighed. "I know…it's just that there's something familiar about her. Something that really reminds me of Blitz Chick. I can't place it, but it's there…"

Silent for a moment, the Red Raider watched Dante for a moment. "…so how'd you and Blitz Chick meet?"

Looking up, Dante eyed Zero for a moment before sighing. "It's been so long…It was coincidence really. We were in club together and she was also in volleyball. She had a game right afterwards so she was in her jersey and spandex shorts and she was holding her long socks and all…anyways, she was laying on this old car seat we had in the classroom and I was standing there in my trench coat and sunglasses." The brown eyed boy smiled at the memory.

"We didn't know each other then, but I looked down at her and we made eye contact. After a moment she smiled and said the stupidest thing. She said to me, 'How's the matrix Neo?'" He chuckled. "I guess that's how we first met…I really started falling for her that spring…after my previous girlfriend broke up with me…"

Both boys were silent for a while before Zero spoke.

"You know…I used to have a girl."

Looking up, Dante's chocolate eyes found Zero, who was staring out towards the horizon.

"She was a great girl. Sweet…caring…I felt so alive with her. But our beliefs were different…In the end…I ended up killing her. I wish we could've worked it out. I really wish we did. And when this other girl came along, I just pushed her away…I was too wrapped up with my own problems."

"Zero…?"

Turning his head, Zero's blue eyes met Dante's chocolate ones. "What I'm trying to say to you is don't give up on her. Because she's out there somewhere, and it's up to you to find her. And even if it doesn't work out…" He clapped a hand on Dante's shoulder. "…I'm pretty sure Blitz will be willing to go on a date with you."

Staring at his partner for a moment, Dante couldn't help but break into a wide grin.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANTE! And yes, Dante IS a real person, like Blitz (me) and Telith.. His birthday is coming up soon, so happy birthday Dante! May all your birthday wishes come true.

And I really did say "How's the Matrix Neo?" when I first met Dante.


	15. Thunder and Lightning

Telith flipped up her visor and turned around when Blitz reentered the lab, her arms full of electronics. "Yo BC! You get the stuff?"

Dumping the gadgets onto the table, Blitz smiled. "Of course!" Sweeping aside a few surge protectors, she extracted two sandwiches. "Ta-dah!"

"I love you BC." Remarked Telith, who chose one of the two sandwiches and tore off the paper wrapping. "Screw the people who say you can't eat in the lab."

Taking the seat across from her partner, Blitz unwrapped her sandwich and took a bite. "I was gonna pick up some Pocky, but I'm on my last box and I want to save it for later."

Tearing into her sandwich, the blonde nodded. After chewing and swallowing, she blinked at Blitz. "So, did you see anyone while you were out?"

Nodding, the brunette swallowed. "Yeah…I saw Axl and Forte when I first went out. It looks like retraining is going to start with level ones and twos and work its way down."

"Anyone else?"

"I saw Dante and Zero briefly. They looked like they were breaking for lunch or something."

"Have you told him yet?"

The ensuing awkward silence answered Telith's question.

"Dang it BC! If you don't tell him, he's gonna move on and never know how close he was to finding you again!"

"I know!" Blitz lowered her blue eyes. "I know. I just…don't know how to tell him that."

After a moment, Telith sighed. "You suck at talking to guys, don't you?"

"You should know."

Finishing her sandwich, Telith leveled her pale blue eyes at Blitz. "You're gonna have to tell him sometime."

"I know…" Blitz toyed with a circuit breaker panel. "But I'm worried. What if he just figures it out on his own?"

"You're joking, right?"

"Dante's smart."

"BC, I don't know if you know this, but you've changed so much in a hundred years."

Crossing her arms, Blitz sat back. "Oh really?"

"Yeah!"

"How?"

Smirking, Telith began to tick off ways on her fingers. "You're a little taller, your hair is shorter, you're more confident, you're a better fighter…"

"Okay, okay. I get it."

Grinning widely, Telith toyed with the skeleton of a prototype blaster. "Let me put it this way; if you don't tell him, I will."

Choking, BC stared. "You wouldn't…"

"I would."

"Blackmail is freaking cheating!"

"No it's not."

"Yes it is!"

"All's fair in love and war."

"You suck!"

"I know."

Silence reigned for a moment before both girls made eye contact and began to laugh.

"We'd better get back to work BC…"

Picking up the skeleton of the blaster, the brunette began to tinker with it. "I suppose…" She glanced off thoughtfully. "I wonder how Prometheus and Star X are doing…"

Telith paused thoughtfully, and then grinned. "I bet you a half box of Pocky that they've killed each other by now."

"I'll take that bet!" Smirked Blitz.

"What makes you so sure they haven't killed each other by now?"

Looking down at her work, Blitz was silent for a moment before smiling. "Because they're Star and Proto."


	16. Home Again

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, the duo in question was maintaining a stony silence.

Prometheus glanced at the back of Star's head. She seemed pretty steamed at him. Man, that girl could hold a grudge! But still, there wasn't anyone out here. She'd have to talk to him sometime.

Well, there was ONE thing. And that was the old site of Abnormal Labs.

Sighing, Prometheus couldn't help but feel a little guilty that he had been so mean to Star X. She really was a pretty good fighter. And even though she was furious at him, he couldn't help but notice that she was kinda pretty too. Not like the runway models that Forte always managed to find pictures of to adorn his half of the room, but more…natural beauty. Like she was gorgeous and didn't know it.

"We're here."

Snapping himself out of his thoughts, Prometheus stared. There, at then end of the tree-lined path they had been traversing, an ancient building stood. It looked as though at one time it might have been painted a cheery butter yellow color, but it was so faded it was impossible to tell. Ivy had taken over the eastern side of the house and holes had been punched into the roof.

Star X stared at it, a curious feeling overtaking her. It wasn't an uneasy feeling, but more like…she had been here.

"Let's go." Prometheus strode forward confidently, keeping his eyes moving around his surroundings.

The two entered into a small meeting room. It reminded Star X of a hotel room, with a few differences. There were scorch marks on the walls and an overturned couch with holes punched into the cushions. She glanced sideways at Prometheus, who was examining a broken coffee pot.

"A battle, maybe?"

"Not recently." The scarlet sniper moved on to examining the couch. "These scorch marks are old. Very old."

Opening the door at the other end of the room, Star X led the way down a long hallway. Pausing at the end, she eyed the door. It was steel, but it was swinging loosely. Scorch marks and saber marks created a strange pattern across the door. Throwing a glance at Prometheus, she pushed open the door and strode in.

"Woah…"

The room was huge, but surprisingly barren. The only sign someone had lived there were the increasingly common scorch and saber marks. On the far wall, there was a staircase that led to another doorway. Underneath the stairs was a door that creaked eerily in the silence.

Stepping around his blonde partner, Prometheus glanced around. "Looks like the battle was pretty intense here." He glanced at the upper doorway. "But it didn't continue into the upper rooms…Only the lower one."

"Then that's where we're headed." Star X strode across the steel floor, unaware that 100 years ago, this was a path she traversed daily. Once again leading the way, the duo entered the secret labs.

Once inside, Star X inhaled sharply.

"What?"

Shaking her head, Star X looked around. "Nothing…I just thought…"

"That you've been here before?"

Turning, the blonde looked at Prometheus curiously. "Yeah…how'd you know?"

He glanced away. "I'm getting the same feeling. So what…"

"Blitz Chick's secret labs." Seeing the odd look her partner was giving her, Star walked further into the room. "I read some files on Abnormal Labs and this fits the description of the secret labs. Except I expected more…equipment."

Indeed, this room was barren as well, save a teleporter in the corner. Throwing Star a quick glance, Prometheus strode across the floor, the dappled sunlight throwing odd shadows on him.

"A teleporter…" He breathed. "This is a break…" The sniper began to play around with the keypad. "If we can figure out the coordinates…"

As he finished, the pad sparked with electricity and he withdrew his hand hurriedly.

"…Or not…" Flipping on his communicator, Prometheus contacted HQ. "Alia, this is Prometheus reporting in. We've reached Abnormal Labs and we've found some teleporting device…"

Meandering back into the main lab, Star X found herself climbing the stairs without much thought, as though it was habit. Peering through the door, she found her natural curiosity being aroused.

This hall was shorter, but still fairly long. At the far end there was a door, with two doors on each side of the hall. Edging forward, she reached out until her hand was inches away from the first door.

"What're you doing?"

Jumping, Star whirled and trained her blaster on Prometheus, who was standing in the doorway. Relaxing, she turned her attention back to the door.

"I'm gonna figure out what's behind these doors." Putting her hand to the door, she swept away dust from a nameplate and scanned the bold combo between printing and cursive.

"Bass…Does that name mean anything to you?"

Shaking his head, Prometheus moved closer. "No…perhaps this is the living quarters?"

Shrugging, the blonde pushed the door open and stared into a dusty room.

A window let sunlight shine in, illuminating the unmade bed which was littered with tousled black sheets and papers. A black chair stood in the corner, and a simple black desk next to it. Magazines and books littered the floor, most of them looking like they'd been read about a thousand times.

"Looks a lot like Forte's room back home." Remarked Prometheus as he examined the contents of the desk.

"Not much here. Let's try the other rooms."

The other nameplate read Hannah, and her room was possibly messier than Bass's. Finding nothing of importance, Star X led the way across the hall, where she dusted off the nameplate and gasped.

"What's it say?" Asked the red sniper as he tried to peer over Star X's shoulder.

Shaking her head, Star X let him read the plate for himself.

Examining the text, Prometheus knew why she was surprised. In fluid handwriting, two words were printed.

"Star's Room." He turned to her. "It's a coincidence. I'm sure there's an explanation."

Nodding, the blonde pushed into the room. It was pleasantly sunny in the room. The walls were painted blue and green, alternatively. The bed in the far corner was unmade, but neater than everyone else's so far. A blue love seat was piled high with cushions and blankets, while the desk across from it was littered with books and photographs. A corkboard above the desk was filled with notes, drawings, pictures, magazine clippings and other trinkets.

Prometheus was silent while he stared around. Pushing past him, Star X instinctively went to the bed and reached under the pillow. As her crimson partner watched, she extracted a journal that had once upon a time been covered in blue velvet and locked, but time had reduced the fuzz to nothing more than sad stubble and the lock lay open.

"How'd you know that'd be there?" Asked Prometheus.

Shaking her head, Star began to flip the stiff pages. "I don't know…I just knew." Skipping ahead, she looked at the final entry. "But this isn't telling us much about where Blitz Chick went. Listen to the last entry…"

Clearing her throat, she read. "_Dear Diary today is a good day. BC perfected the Reploid Binding technology yesterday, so now we can begin to prepare for the first binding. I'm so excited. Hannah says we should wait until we can be sure that everything will go right, but I think BC knows what she's doing. I'm surprised, she's slept in today. It must've been all that partying we did last night. Well, Nii-san is calling me, so I've gotta go. Something about visitors. Bye!_"

Closing the book, she sighed. "That's where it ends. I'm guessing that was the morning Blitz Chick disappeared." She stood, keeping the book clasped in her hand. "Let's check the other room."

"You're taking that with you?" Remarked Prometheus, his tone skeptical.

Glancing at it, Star nodded. "Yeah. I want to look at the entries and see if there's any clue as to where Blitz Chick went to."

Shrugging, Prometheus approached the door next to the one that read 'Star's Room' and dusted off the nameplate. He frowned at the uniform handwriting. "ProtoMan's Room. Odd, I didn't think he stayed at the labs."

Entering the room, both Reploids were astonished by the neat appearance of the room. The black bed sheets were tucked in tightly and the red pillows arranged neatly. On the desk, all the books, papers, and folders were arranged in neat piles that probably had some meaning.

This time it was Prometheus's turn to habitually move to the bed and pick up the dusty black leather bound journal with 'ProtoMan' stamped into the cover. Flipping deftly to the final entry, he read, his voice faltering at points.

"_They've gone. We don't know where BC is, but Hannah is ordering us to the teleporter. Everyone's in bad shape. Hannah and Bass mostly, but everyone's beat up. Hopefully BC made it out all right. I don't know when I'll get back here, so this is my final entry for a while. To whoever finds this, Blitz Chick is innocent. Her inventions are meant only to aid man, robot and soon, Reploids. ProtoMan Blues Light._"

Shutting the book with a small cloud of dust, Prometheus shook his head. "I'm taking this with me back to HQ."

Nodding, Star X led the way out of the room. "So we've gone into everyone's room but Blitz Chick's." Turning, she looked at the door at the end of the hallway.

Drawing level with her, Prometheus stared at the door. "…Only one way to find out I suppose."

Striding over to the door, both Reploids put their hands on the handle. Star flushed as his hand enveloped hers, and then she reminded herself that she was mad at him.

"On three, okay?"

She nodded, not taking her eyes off the handle.

"One…"

She tensed her hand.

"Two…"

His hand tensed over hers.

"Three."

Pushing into the room, the two stumbled for a moment before gaining their balance and looking around.

"What the…?"

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing Prometheus?"

"I am…"

Unlike the other rooms, this one had been completely raided. Only patches of floor that had less dust than the other portions showed that there had ever been furniture.

Star X trembled with rage. "Who could've done this! I mean, what kind of person would dare do such a thing?"

Prometheus only half-listened to her. Something was odd about this…Snapping his fingers, Prometheus clapped Star X's shoulder. "Hold that thought, I'll be right back."

As he dashed off, Star X raised an eyebrow at his retreating back. "I will NEVER understand men, even if I live to be 100 years old."

Prometheus hurried back, a thin metal pole in his hand.

"Where the hell did you get that!"

"It's used to clean my sniper rifle. Listen to me; how many years of dust do you think is on this floor?"

"100…about…why?"

"Right. Now look at this." He held up his rifle pole. At the end, there was a line where the dust ended.

"Okay, that's just SICK."

"Yeah, yeah, but look. I put it in here, where there hasn't been any furniture, and it's exactly the same depth as the other rooms that haven't been disturbed."

"Okay, so what?"

"Watch." Taking the pole out, he shook it gently and placed it where there had been furniture. The difference in depth was staggering. Looking up and seeing the look of revelation on Star X's face, Prometheus nodded. "Exactly. If my calculations are correct, the furniture in this room was removed about four or five years ago."

Both of them were silent, comprehending what this meant. Finally, Star X spoke.

"We should go back. HQ needs to know about this."

Standing, Prometheus nodded and followed her out, staring at her back. He was silent, but inside, a war raged.


	17. My Apology

Night had fallen like a peaceful blanket across Maverick Hunter's HQ. As the sun went down, so did the almost constant chatter of guns and the hustle and bustle of battle. Alia and MegaMan X were going over the information brought back by Prometheus and Star X.

Despite the late hour, Prometheus couldn't sleep. He stared out the small window in his temporary room. Glancing into the room, he found it strangely illuminated by the moonlight. Fortissimo was already sprawled across his bed, his black armor given an eerie silver tint.

Sighing, he returned his gaze to the clear night, staring at the full moon.

_What's wrong with me? I shouldn't feel this way. Not about her. She's just…different from the others somehow. Like I've known her all my life, even though I know we've only known a week. _

Finally, he stood and crept silently to the door. Easing it open, he slid out and locked it behind him. He didn't have a destination, he just needed to walk.

Letting his mind wander, Prometheus strolled towards a breezeway that led from one half of the living quarters to the other. Although it wasn't stated, one half was for the guys and the other was for the girls.

Rounding the corner, Prometheus realized someone was in front of him and whipped his rifle around as the other figure whipped out his weapon.

"Prometheus?"

Pausing, Prometheus didn't lower his weapon, but let his eyes adjust to the moonlight. "Dante?"

Lowering his golden gun, Dante holstered it beneath his trench coat. "I was about to shoot you there."

"I could say the same to you." The crimson Reploid stared at him. "What're you doing up?"

"What are YOU doing up?"

Smirking, the red sniper slung his rifle around to his back. "Nice try, but I asked first."

Sighing, Dante ran a hand through his hair. "I just…was seeing Blitz."

"Oh? She's awake this late?"

"Well…not really."

Although he couldn't see it, Prometheus's eyebrows shot up. "You got into her ROOM?"

Taking a step back, Dante explained. "It's not like that! I was passing by and I saw her door open a little bit. I thought she was awake so I poked my head in and she was asleep. Really, I should've left, but I couldn't help it…she looked so much like…" He paused.

"Like Blitz Chick." Shaking his head, Dante closed his chocolate brown eyes for a moment. "It's so weird. Aside from her hair being shorter, they could be twins. She even sleeps the same way BC did. On her side, in the fetal position with the blankets pulled up to her head."

"Wait." Prometheus held up a hand. "This implies you've slept with Blitz Chick."

"HELL NO!" Dante exclaimed, his brown eyes wide. "No! I wouldn't do that! She was just really tired one day that I was over. She had a blanket over her and she just…fell asleep on me. It's nothing like that."

He eyed Prometheus. "So what're you doing up?"

Looking away, Prometheus sighed. "I couldn't sleep."

"So…"

"I was going for a walk…to talk with Star X."

"Ah."

"Yeah."

"…You gonna apologize?"

Nodding, Prometheus sighed again. "Don't have much of a choice, do I? One way or another, I've got to do it."

Smiling, Dante nodded and clapped him on the shoulder. "Well, good luck with that. I think she's awake. At least, the light was on under her door."

"Aren't you the lady's man?"

"Nah…" Dante said, moving away. "Just observant." He threw a salute over his shoulder and disappeared around the corner.

For a moment, the crimson hunter stared at where Dante had disappeared. Then he turned and headed off.

_He's got some nerve, falling for someone like Blitz. She'd tear his head off if he tried anything funny on her! But then again…perhaps I've misjudged her character._

Quietly, Prometheus stole through the darkened hallways, searching for Star X's room. It couldn't be that hard to find if the light was on. All the lights were off, save one. The door was at the very end of the hall, and the sliver of light that shone under the door was bright in the darkness.

Once in front of the door though, Prometheus stopped. The light shone across his boots, almost inviting him in, but he couldn't. As if an invisible force was stopping him.

_Come on Prometheus. It's just a door, and she's just a girl. There's absolutely nothing to be afraid of! Aside from the fact that she wants to rip my organs out through my ears and strangle me with them. Yeah…nothing to fear at all…_

Finally, he reached out and quickly rapped on the door, withdrawing his hand as though the simple act of touching the door had burned him somehow.

After several long moments, the door opened a crack and Star X's sky blue eye peeked out. "What do you want?" She asked, sounding a bit peeved.

Looking at the eye, Prometheus took a deep, shuddering breath. "I want to talk to you."

Star X didn't move, but stared at him skeptically for a moment before she closed the door. Then, just as Prometheus was about to walk away, she opened it fully.

"Come in."

Hesitantly entering, Prometheus was surprised to find Star X not in her armor, as he was, but instead an oversized t-shirt and shorts. He swallowed at the amount of skin she was showing, but pulled his attention away from that. Even so, Star had noticed.

"Blitz taught me. She said that sleeping in armor eventually will ruin it."

"Oh..." Prometheus looked around the room. It was different from other rooms. There was only one window, and it was a small rectangle near the ceiling. But that hadn't stopped Star X from getting to it. She had somehow erected a platform that allowed her to sit comfortably by the window. Standing was out of the question, but sitting would be just fine. A ladder provided easy access to and from the platform. Under the platform, in a corner was Star X's armor. It pulsed gently, showing that it was charging.

Climbing up the ladder, Star disappeared over the platform. Following her lead, Prometheus followed after. Reaching the top, he saw that the only thing up here was a small mattress, a pillow and a blanket.

"That's all you sleep on?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Star X was sitting by the window, her knees pulled to her chest. "It's enough."

An awkward silence descended between the two. Scooting over, Prometheus stared out the window as well. Finally he spoke.

"I've been an idiot."

Star turned to look at him. He was staring out the window, and it was impossible to read his expression because of his sunglasses. Still, she remained silent as he continued.

"I've been pretty stupid. These past years, I never considered anyone on my level unless they were Class S. I thought they were all below me. Never once did I think that anyone would prove me wrong."

Finally, he turned his eyes to meet hers.

"Until I met you."

Inhaling sharply, Star's blue eyes went wide. Still, she was silent.

"You…you were the first girl with enough guts to put me in my place. At first I was mad. Now…now I can't thank you enough." He looked away. "I guess what I'm trying to say is…I'm sorry."

Star felt like flying. She had been right! He admitted it! But still…she needed to speak her piece.  
"I'm sorry too."

Now it was Prometheus's turn to look astonished.

"I was too headstrong and stubborn. I didn't think before I acted. I should have considered your feelings when I spoke. Instead, I only thought of mine."

After a pause, the crimson Reploid spoke. "Then we are both at fault."

Their eyes met, and at long last, Star X smiled.


	18. She's Back

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yeah…sorry guys. My updates have been off…My boyfriend and I broke up recently and I've been way out of it…Don't worry, the story will continue.

The days passed without much of an event. Blitz and Telith spent long hours in the lab, working on the electrically charged weapons with little success. One morning Blitz was alone in the lab, turning over the skeletal frame of a blaster when the door creaked open.

"Blitz?"

Turning her blue eyes from her work to the door, Blitz felt her heart jump at the sight of Dante. "D-Dante! What're you doing here?"

Shrugging, he closed the door as he entered. "Not much. Have you eaten yet?"

"No…I've been here since about six this morning."

"Then can I tempt you with this?" He asked, pulling a boxed lunch from behind his back and waving it at her.

Taking it, Blitz smiled. "You're a lifesaver Dante." Opening it, she began to eat. "Aren't you supposed to be on the battlefield?"

Dante sat and looked around. "Yeah…but I decided to take a break."

"So how's it going out there?"

Sighing, Dante shook his head. "It's okay. But they're planning something. Every day, our neutral ground is shrinking. They've obviously moved forward."

Blitz felt uneasy at this thought. Swallowing, she spoke. "Sorry. Telith and I are working as hard as we can on these weapons, but it's so much harder than we originally thought."

Dante nodded and took up a skeletal beam saber. "I can see that. But that's okay. You just focus on your job and I'll focus on mine."

"Then you can put that down."

Flushing, Dante set it back down gingerly. "Sorry."

Both Reploids lapsed into silence. Dante watched Blitz intently. She was very much like Blitz Chick…He studied her as she bent over the blaster. The brunette girl's face was focused, her eyes almost unblinking as she stared at the two wires she was attempting to connect.

"Blitz?"

The brunette looked up; shaking her head so a few strands of hair fell across her pretty blue eyes. "Yes Dante?"

The brown-eyed boy opened his mouth to speak, and then sighed. "Never mind." Turning, he shook his head. "I should be going."

Watching his back, Blitz blinked. "Oh…okay. Thanks for the food."

"No problem."

"I'll see you later then."

"Yeah."

After the other Reploid had left, Blitz sighed. That could've been something big. And yet, he couldn't get it out. Connecting the wires, she smiled at her work. Standing, she grabbed a detonator and moved to the wall. Putting on some goggles, she pressed the button.

The gun began to hum gently and electricity began to jump between the wire frames, showing that all her hard work had paid off.

Smiling, Blitz approached the weapon. It was working! Finally, she could supply at least half of the Maverick Hunters at the base with a weapon!

Later, the blonde Reploid poked her head in to see Blitz screwing on some outer paneling. Smiling, Telith wandered into the room. "You've really made some progress, haven't you?"

Looking up, Blitz nodded. "Yeah! I'm so excited. All that's left is to get the paneling on and equip the components into the Reploids!" She sighed. "Problem is, we only have enough for the few Class S hunters we have available."

"Don't worry so much." Remarked Telith, who was admiring the blaster she had crafted for Star X. "There'll be plenty of other chances to use this technology. Now that Sigma has invented something like this, it's not going to die easy."

Turning, Telith's pale blue eyes studied Blitz. "Are you sure you don't want me to help you? I mean, I'm totally okay with it…"

Waving a hand, Blitz fished around for a screwdriver. "It's fine Telly. You go help Star X and Prometheus. How are those two, by the way?"

Smirking, Telith made her way to the door. "Well, I don't want to ruin a good surprise, but I think they were holding hands under the table."

Shaking her head, Blitz listened to Telith's ringing laughter as she moved down the hall. "I will never understand you Telith…even 100 more years from now."

Afternoon passed quietly into early evening. The base and battlefield were bathed in a beautiful magenta light and the clouds turned a pale gold color.

Sighing, Blitz stretched and stared out the small window in the laboratory. Checking her messenger bag, the brunette smiled at her work. She had wrapped all the completed weapons in the only thing she had available, which was athletic pre-wrap. It was soft enough to cushion the instruments, should they fall, but easy to unwrap.

Swinging the bag onto her shoulder, Blitz opened the door and headed for the stairs.

As the brunette descended from the fourth floor to the third, an alarm began to wail throughout the entire base. Clapping her hands over her ears, Blitz dashed off to the right.

"What could possibly go wrong NOW!"

Turning the corner, the blue eyed Reploid froze, face to face with a whole horde of mavericks. Swallowing hard, she felt her breath catch in her throat.

"Oh. That's what."

And without a second thought, she turned and ran. She ran like she'd never run before. A swarm of angry mavericks will do that to a person.

Rounding a corner, she had time to catch a flash of black before she ran headlong into another being, sending the pair sprawling to the floor, clutching their heads.

"Ohhh…" She sat up, rubbing her head. It was then she realized who she had run into.

"DANTE?"

"BLITZ?"

"What're you doing here?"  
"I should ask you that! What're you doing here Blitz?"

"Running from a swarm of angry mavericks. You?"

"Funny, so was I."

It was at this point that both swarms made it around the corner, snarling and foaming like raccoons with rabies.

Leaping up, Dante and Blitz looked at each other for a moment and then tore down a side hall that led to a fairly deserted and run down part of Maverick Hunter's HQ.

As they matched each other stride for stride, Dante glanced sideways at Blitz's bag.

"Might I ask what that is?"

Not even bothering to look at her companion, the brunette scientist panted out an answer. "The weapons. I finished them. Now I need to get them to their rightful owners. This way."

Taking another turn, the two hunters paused for a moment, attempting to regain their breath. But both of them could tell that the swarm wasn't too far behind, and their rest time was limited.

Wiping sweat from his brow, Dante's chocolate brown eyes sought out Blitz's blue eyes. "We've got to get outside."

Nodding, Blitz glanced over his shoulder and could see the approaching shadows of the angry swarm. "Time to go."

As the pair began to pick up speed, a crack sounded. Blitz felt herself freeze for a moment. She knew that sound. It was the sound of a weapon being fired. And that could only mean…

A heavy thud resounded through the hall as the other hunter hit the floor.

"DANTE!"

Whirling, Blitz dropped to her knees beside him, seeing his face twisted in agony. He was clutching at his leg and gritting his teeth so as not to cry out.

Reaching under his coat, Blitz pulled out the golden gun and took a shot at an unlucky maverick who had gotten too close. Helping the injured hunter to his feet, she slung an arm around him.

"C'mon Dante, let's go."

While the swarm had been startled and slightly deterred by the return fire, it wasn't going to be long before they recovered. Blitz helped Dante to the end of the hall and after turning the corner, dragged him into an old storage closet with no door. Leaning him against the back wall, she stared at him with concern.

"Are you all right Dante?"

Nodding grimly, Dante took a few deep breaths and spoke. "Yeah…they didn't hit anything vital. Just bruised me. I'll be okay in a minute or two." He chuckled. "We're lucky that my boots are bulletproof."

Sighing, Blitz settled back onto her heels. "That's good…we've still got to get out of this place and find the others."

As Blitz gently put the bag down, Dante spoke again. "Blitz…there's something I've got to tell you…something important."

Meeting his eyes, Blitz seemed a bit sad. "I've got to tell you something too…"

"You first then."

"No, you go Dante. You started it."

Sighing, the brunette looked away for a moment before finally spitting out what he had needed to say for days. "Blitz, I think I'm in love with you."

This immediately got a reaction from the other hunter, but not the one he had hoped for. Standing, Blitz looked incredibly sad.

"No…you're not in love with me Dante."

"Yes I am! You're everything I'd ever want…"

"You're not!" Looking down at him, Blitz's hands curled into fists. "You're in love with Blitz Chick! You went to the future for her…nobody could ask for more. You've loved her for over 100 years…that's true devotion."

Turning aside, Blitz sighed, her shoulders drooping. "And I haven't been totally honest with you Dante."

"What?"

Looking at him again, the blue eyed Reploid turned her back to the doorway. "I'm not who you think I am Dante."

"I don't understand."

"Who do you think I am Dante?"

"You're Blitz, Class S hunter and scientist for Maverick Hunter's HQ."

Shaking her head, Blitz closed her eyes. "Blitz is a lie. There is no Blitz." Seeing the confused look on Dante's face, she tried again. "I'm not who you think I am. You just don't understand what I'm saying…I'm-!"

"BLITZ!"

Whirling, Blitz found herself face-to-face with the maverick swarm she thought she'd lost. And in a split second, she made a decision.

Thrusting her hands forward, the brunette gave a wild yell and from her hands erupted bolts of golden lightning that rippled through the enemy horde like a katana through rice paper. It illuminated the whole hall and cast eerie shadows over everything.

When it was done, Blitz slowly looked back to Dante, who was staring at her with an expression somewhere between shock and horror.

"You don't understand Dante…I AM Blitz Chick."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I am so evil.


	19. You Rang?

"You CAN'T be BC!"

"I AM Blitz Chick!"

"It's IMPOSSIBLE!"

"Not impossible, just highly improbable."

Dante had dragged Blitz, now revealed as Blitz Chick, to an abandoned conference room where he had seated her. The dark colored hunter was pacing in front of her as she watched.

"It's impossible!"

"Doesn't the lightning technology prove it to you?" Pleaded BC, who had been trying to explain for some time now.

Abruptly the door slammed open and Telith burst into the room, her cheeks flushed and her beam saber out.

"Dante! Blitz! Come quickly, we-"

It was then that the blonde assessed the situation. First she looked to Dante, then to Blitz, then back to Dante, and finally back to Blitz.

Smacking her forehead, she groaned. "Awwww, man! I missed the show, didn't I?"

"YOU KNEW ABOUT THIS?!"

"About what?" Asked the blue eyed Reploid innocently, seemingly enjoying the older boy's frustration.

"HER!" Exclaimed Dante, pointing to Blitz Chick.

Smirking, Telith crossed her arms. "Well, that depends on what you mean by 'know.'"

Giving Telith an exasperated look, Blitz tried to appeal to Dante. "Dante, isn't there anything I can say that will make you believe that I really am BC?"

Resuming his pacing, Dante shook his head.

Sighing, Blitz clenched her hands to fists. "Your birthday was on the first day of school."

Stopping, the chocolate eyed Reploid stared at her.

Continuing, BC found it hard to stop. "You took German as a foreign language in high school. You had a yellow lab as a pet. You're a sprinter and you hate long distance running. You've never broken a bone. Can't you see that I AM BC?"

After a long moment, Dante sank down into a chair, staring at her incredulously. "My God…you really are…" Looking up, he found Telith's pale blue eyes.

"Then that means you must be…"

Smiling, Hannah sheathed her sword. "About time you figured it out."

He looked back to Blitz. "Then Star X, Prometheus and Forte…?"

Sighing, she looked at her hands. "Yes, but they don't know it."

For the longest time, Dante could only stare before posing one question.

"What happened?"

And then it all came out. Some parts were common knowledge, but most of it was new information. From the time she developed the lighting technology to that moment, the whole story was laid bare. When it was done, Dante was back on his feet.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner BC?"

"Dante, I-"

"What?" The brunette was angry. "Did you think I'd just forgive you for disappearing for 100 years? Sorry BC, but it doesn't work like that." Turning, he made for the door.

"WAIT!"

At the same time, Telith blocked the door and Blitz Chick grabbed onto Dante's hand, holding one of his hands in both of her as if she let go, he'd never come back.

"Hear me out Dante…" Murmured the blue eyed brunette. "I've been…very lonely these past 100 years. And truth be told, I've been doing some serious thinking about my life."

"I realize that I didn't have much of a choice when I left for the future. But I was afraid that if I told you my plan, you'd try and stop me or get hurt. I didn't want that to happen to you. And when you showed up on the battle field…I didn't know what to think. I mean, it'd been 100 years since we'd spoken…I didn't know if you were mad at me, or what was going on in your head. I realize I acted selfishly when I didn't tell you who I was, but I was afraid of what might happen! Can't you understand that?"

Lowering her eyes, Blitz tightened her grip a little. "I know I hurt you. I understand that you might not want to forgive me. But I'm trying to become a better person. I'm going to be different. So…if you want to go…now that you've heard me…you can…"

Slowly, BC's grip loosened and Dante's hand began to slip away. As she moved to turn away, Dante's hand took hers. Looking up into his dark eyes, BC was astonished.

Smiling, Dante seemed a little sheepish. "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered; it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."  
Seeing the slightly puzzled look on BC's face, he explained. "It's a Bible verse. First Corinthians, 13: verses 4-8."

For a moment, the two just stared at each other, not quite knowing what to think of the other.

Thankfully, the mood was spoiled by Telith. "Yeah, this is touching and all, but we've still got a horde of angry mavericks in the base and Sigma is outside and we're not killing him! Let's go!"

"WE'RE GOING TO DIE!"

"Axl, shut up."

The battle was going badly for the hunters. The sheer number of Mavericks was staggering, and the task of destroying the central processor was much harder than anticipated. Mavericks and hunters littered the ground and still, the battle raged on.

Leaping back, Axl fired off a shot at a particularly aggressive Maverick. Unfortunately, he leapt right into Forte, who nearly decapitated him with his chain rod.

Sighing, the ebony robot clapped a hand to his heart. "Lord, Axl, you scared me! I thought you were a Maverick."

A shot interrupted the thought, slicing through the air not centimeters from Forte's nose, destroying a Maverick's head. Turning, Axl and Forte caught sight of Prometheus ramming the butt of his sniper rifle into a Maverick's head while Star X and Zero covered for the sniper.

The three other Reploids sprinted over to aid the battle.

"Need some help?" Smirked Fortissimo as he hurled one enemy into another.

The blue eyed blonde smiled gratefully as she fired off a shot. "Yes, thanks!"

Forming a tight ring, the six hunters were grim.

Lashing out at a nearby maverick, Forte grimaced. "Is this really the end?"

Sniping two mavericks at once, Prometheus opened his mouth but was cut off by Zero.

"If we're going down, we're gonna give them hell first!"

Smirking over her shoulder, Star X smiled. "Couldn't have put it better myself."

As they backed up, forming a tighter ring, X sighed. "Where's Blitz Chick when you need her?"

Right on cue, a bolt of lighting streaked down, smiting several mavericks, causing the rest of the swarm to retreat.

Looking up, the six hunters laid eyes on what looked like a goddess reborn.

On top of a ruined building, Blitz stood, one finger smoking. To her right was Telith and on her left was Dante. Telith's blade pulsed blue in the coming night while Dante's golden gun sparkled in the fading light.

"You rang?"

Leaping down, the two groups met each other with astonishment. Zero's jaw was on the floor.

"B-Blitz?"

Holding up a hand, BC smiled. "Please, call me by my REAL name. Blitz Chick."

Axl couldn't help but point and gape. "Blitz Chick? Wait, you mean to tell me that THE Blitz Chick was working right next to me for all this time and I never knew?!"

Hannah cleared her throat. "Her right-hand woman too."

"You too?!"

Zero gaped openly, which was a sight to see, since the crimson hunter was rarely startled by anything. "B-But….how?!"

Dante shook his head, cutting off any response from Telith or BC. "There's no time for the story now. Where's Sigma?"

Prometheus answered. "He's taken shelter in the ruined temple beyond the city. We suspect he's got some sort of weapon hidden in there or that's his main base of operations."

The trio exchanged looks and nodded.

"Right," The brunette huntress stated, her hands crackling with energy. "We're off. When we get back I hope that you six will still be here."

"WHAT?!" Forte exclaimed. "You're taking on Sigma ALONE? That's madness!"

Star X stepped forward and looked pleadingly at the trio as they headed off into the fray.

"Please don't go! You'll be killed!"

After a moment of silence, Telith turned and smiled. "We'll be back kid. Don't worry, it's a promise." Then she pushed down her visor and dashed off.

As the trio worked their way through the mavericks, each one knew that what Star X had said was very true. At long last, as they were entering the crumbling buildings, Blitz Chick spoke.

"Dante?"

"Yes BC?"

"What will happen if…if one of us dies…?"  
"We won't."

"But what if we do?"

The brunette was silent for a while before speaking.

"If we do…then rest of us will do what we can to move on."

Looking over to Telith, Blitz was reassured by the blonde's determined look and nod.

At long last, the three stopped before the temple. It had been a long way there and the sun was down now, with the stars shining down over the carnage. The three heroes were splattered with blood and panting heavily.

The temple itself was huge, a magnificent stone building with large stained glass windows. But these windows had been knocked out, leaving only shards of colored glass glittering on the sill.

Telith was the first to catch her breath as she wiped sweat from her brow and pushed up her visor. "This is where he's chosen to hide out?"  
"Apparently." Quipped BC, who seemed quite tired out.

"Well, here's what I think." The girls turned to look at Dante, who was loading his last round into the golden gun before clicking it and spinning the chamber. "I'm almost out of bullets here, so as soon as I'm out, it'll be close range for me. BC, you're our long range attack. It's your job to stay and take Sigma out from the back lines."

Blitz nodded. "That's a good plan, but I think I have a better one."

"You do?"

"Yes…it's been working for me for a hundred years, I don't see why this is any different."

"Would you please enlighten me?"

Smirking, Blitz's blue eyes met his chocolate ones. "We go in, I start hitting him hard in the face and we see where it takes us."

After a moment of silent deliberation, Dante grinned back. "I like that plan."

"Good. So do I."

Telith flipped her hair over her shoulder and grinned. "Let's do this."


	20. Battle of the Gods

The temple was dark and the main chapel the trio entered into was devoid of any pews. The only light came from BC's hands and Telith's saber. Striding up the main aisle, Blitz stopped with the other two flanking her. Looking around, she narrowed her blue eyes.

"All right Sigma! Come out, we know you're here!"

After a long pause, the doors slammed. Dante and Telith whirled to look at them but BC stared straight ahead.

Slowly the lights came on, illuminating the whole chapel. The remains of the stained glass windows sparkled like shattered rainbows on the floor. However, BC had been right about keeping her eyes forward. The altar was raised up high on what looked like a less adorned Aztec temple. On top stood Sigma, his cape fluttering only the slightest bit. He smirked down at the three heroes.

"I'm surprised. I expected more."

Pointing her saber at him, Telith fumed. "You shut the hell up! You have no idea who you're dealing with!"

The smirk widened. "Class S hunter Dante, Class S hunter Telith, and of course…operator turned Class S hunter, Blitz."

The brunette woman was quiet for a moment, her eyes closed. Then they snapped open and she grinned devilishly. "That's where you're wrong. There is no Blitz. There is only Blitz Chick." She brought her hands up as they crackled with energy.

"And she is _not_ a force to be reckoned with."

Telith launched herself at Sigma, bounding up the steps as Blitz fired her blast of lightning and Dante fired a bullet from his golden gun.

"Did we get him?" Asked Dante, not lowering his gun as he stared into the dust that had been stirred up.

BC didn't reply, but stared hard into the settling cloud. "Look!" She cried, pointing. "Telith's saber!"

Indeed, the glow of the saber had been detected through the cloud but as visibility improved, both Reploids gasped.

Sigma had somehow avoided the two projectile attacks and managed to catch the blade with one hand. His face was eerily illuminated by the glow of the blade.

"Come now…surely you can do better than that?"

With surprising strength, the villain sent Telith flipping through the air. Skidding backwards, Telith raised her eyes to get a look at the cloaked villain.

"You've got to be kidding me! He caught my blade!"

Dante frowned, narrowing his eyes at Sigma, who wasn't moving. "No…it's not just that…Look!"

Both girls looked and saw what had surprised Dante so much. The blade had burned into Sigma's hands, but now the metal was sizzling and healing itself.

As if he was waiting for that realization, Sigma leapt down in front of the three and struck out, sending Dante flying into a wall.

"DANTE!" Blitz whirled, her face a mask of fury. "You won't get away with that!" Lashing out, the brunette entered a frenzied duel with the Maverick commander. Surprisingly, the fiend was easily dodging her lightning fast strikes, which were almost impossible to evade for anyone under Class S.

The blonde huntress took the distraction to go help Dante, who was groaning and rubbing his head as he slumped against the wall.

"Dante!" Dropping to her knees, Hannah brushed debris off of the black trench coat. "Are you all right?"

"I'll live…What about BC?" He peered over at the duel between the Reploids. It was interesting to watch, because Sigma almost dwarfed Blitz. Yet they were evenly matched, and it was clear that the smaller Reploid needed some aid. Her armor was scuffed and a trickle of blood dripped from her mouth.

Holstering the golden gun, Dante pulled his beam saber and stood. Hannah was on her feet as well, a devilish glint in her eyes.

Although Sigma was outnumbered three to one, he held his own, deflecting both swords with the greatest of ease. Yet he never touched BC's electrified hands. Of course, this fact did not escape the ever-observant brunette.

"He's just like the others!" She exclaimed, parrying a massive fist. "It's the same strategy! Destroy the central processor!"

Landing and pausing for a moment, Dante smirked. He was as beat up as everyone else, and it looked as though his coat would need some repairs. Wiping blood from a scratch on his cheek, he eyed Sigma. "Well, that shouldn't be too hard."

At that moment Telith somersaulted backwards out of the fray, skidding a few feet before she uncurled face up on the floor. Struggling to her knees, she spat to the side and panted hard. "Yeah, easy for you to say. You're the one who's never faced him before!"

The one Reploid who had stayed in the battle was in the worst shape of them all. BC wasn't backing down, getting up close and personal with the huge maverick.

The behemoth of a villain caught a punch thrown at him and smirked. "Give up now and maybe you'll live."

Ignoring the blood that was trickling into her eyes, BC was determined. "Not on my time!"

Sigma's sneering face grew malicious. "Then die." Grasping her by the neck, the maverick leapt up to the ruined altar, holding the brunette warrior above him.

"NO! Let her go!" Dante whipped out the golden gun and fired his remaining shots at Sigma, who took them without flinching. Within seconds, the armor was perfect again and he was still grinning. Then he flung the brunette away as if she were a piece of trash.

Dashing forward, Dante could only watch as BC slammed into the ground at the base of the premedical altar. Falling to his knees, he took the broken and battered frame of BC into his arms, holding her close.

"How pathetic."

Dante's brown eyes snapped away from BC's unconscious form to see Sigma one tier above them, cape snapping in the wind from the open windows.

"You tried so hard to defeat me, but in the end, you were just more in a long line of those I have killed." He narrowed his eyes. "Now die-"

He stopped in mid-sentence, his eyes going wide. After a moment, Dante saw what had stopped him. Burning through the breastplate of his jade armor was Telith's blade.

The blonde huntress stood behind Sigma, panting heavily but looking determined.

"You first, bitch."

Ripping her blade out with the twisting and grinding of metal, the leader of the Mavericks fell, his body hitting the floor with a crash. Outside, thousands of Mavericks paused mid-battle and with a wild scream returned to an attack that was fruitless.

Their leader was dead.

The Maverick Hunters had won.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yes, that was a very bad chapter. If you like it, tell me. If you hate it, don't lie to me. Tell me where I need to fix it and I will. I just happen to suck at writing battle scenes.


	21. Aftermath

Two days passed.

The Mavericks had been quickly eradicated and most hunters accounted for. Those that could be saved were, but not everyone was so lucky.

All Class S hunters were accounted for. X, Zero, Prometheus, Star X, Fortissimo and Axl were in some rough shape, but nothing as bad as the trio that had gone to face Sigma. BC was the worst off, having been the one Sigma threw to the ground from the altar. She had remained in a near comatose state for the past two days.

Lifesaver had finished repairs to BC's system late in the first day since he had so many other patients to take care of and the damage to the brunette was staggering. Of course, her comrades were nothing to sneeze at either. Both had passed out for a good three hours or so after being escorted to the medical bay. Repairs had been made but still, the two of them had a few bandages plastered on their skin.

Of course, Dante hadn't left Blitz for more than a few moments all the time she was out cold. It was on the afternoon of the second day that his patience was rewarded when finally, the brunette's eyes opened.

At first, her vision was hazy and everything seemed to be swimming. Soft voices drifted to her ears.

"Hey, she's awake."

"Look, her eyes are open!"

As the room drifted into focus, BC looked around. Her bed was pushed into the corner of the room, the left edge against the wall. She was in one of the private med rooms, which were usually reserved for the most severely injured hunters.

Glancing to her right, BC began to assess the small crowd that had gathered at her bedside. Dante was closest, sitting right by her nightstand which was piled high with flowers. Telith stood at Dante's shoulder, smirking despite the bandage on her cheek. Star X was sitting on the end of her bed, smiling cheerily. Fortissimo was standing near Telith while Axl was riding on the other Reploid's back. Prometheus stood next to Forte, arms crossed and smiling.

"Welcome back." Hannah said, winking and giving her friend a thumb up. "You had us worried there."

Blitz smiled and spoke, her voice a bit hoarse. "What happened?"

This time it was Prometheus who spoke. "You guys won. Damn near destroyed that temple too. That must've been some fight. We've eradicated the remaining Mavericks from the base and city, but Zero and X are still leading patrols to pursue the remaining gangs. Lifesaver's been swamped with all the Reploids he's had in the med bay, otherwise he'd be in here taking your vitals."

BC nodded quietly, taking in the faces of everyone present.

"Hey…" Axl chirruped from his position on Forte's back. "Are you really Blitz Chick? You weren't making it up, were you?"

The blue eyed Reploid smirked and snapped her fingers, sending up sparks. "You want more proof than the lighting technology?"

"C'mon Axl, leave her alone!" Star X said, her blue eyes sparkling as she chided the other Reploid. Then she turned to her creator. "We're so glad to have you back Blitz- I mean, BC."

Smiling, BC leaned back into her pillows, closing her eyes wearily. Telith noted this and sighed.

"All right, OUT! The lot of you! BC needs to regain her strength, and she can't do that with all of us in here. OUT!!"

As the group trickled out, Dante stood to leave. As he reached the door, he was stopped by a call.

"Dante…"

Turning, he shut the door and returned to Blitz's side, smiling softly. Gingerly, he reached out and took her hand, caressing it softly.

Opening her eyes, BC smirked. "I'm not really tired. I just needed to talk with you alone."

Looking over at her bedside table, she smiled softly. In the center was a large bouquet of a dozen white roses.

"White roses…You remembered my favorite flower."

Dante looked at them, and then returned his gaze to her. "Yes…How could I forget?"

Dante met Blitz's deep azure eyes. "What will you do now? You won't be fighting for a while after that, Lifesaver said so. Will you stay here and be an operator again?"

The weakened Reploid smiled. "You know, I actually thought about that…funny how being unconscious gives you time to really think. And I think I have an idea of what I want to do."

A little surprised, Dante straightened. "You do?"

"Yes…"

A faraway look entered BC's eyes and she smiled softly. "I'm going back to the Labs. I'm going to continue my research."

"But…what about the Maverick Hunters? You're one of the best hunters they have here!"

Sighing, Blitz struggled to a semi-sitting position. "I know…and I've planned for that. If it's all right with them, I'd like to create a small team of elite fighters that can be deployed wherever, whenever. We'll be based out of Abnormal Labs so I can continue to be a part of the Maverick Hunters and still have my research."

Smiling again at Dante, Blitz used her free hand to push a few strands of hair out of her eyes. "Think about it. I could bring back the age of prosperity that we had when Doctor Light was around. There hasn't been a mind like his since I was around, and I went missing."

After a moment, Dante tightened his grip on her hand. "I'm going with you."

Shaking her head and smiling, BC laughed a little. "I was hoping you'd say that." Tilting her head, she peered over Dante's shoulder at the door. "If you would be so kind, could you let in the Reploids who have been eavesdropping on us?"

Before Dante could even leave his seat, the door burst open and the group of visitors from before streamed in, crowding around the bed.

Telith was the first to speak. "BC! Are you serious? Restarting Abnormal Labs…?"

Nodding, BC flipped her loose hair over her shoulder since it wasn't tied back as it usually was. "Of course…and….I would be honored if you would take the position of my second in command."

Seeming to consider it for a moment, the blonde grinned after a moment. "Aw, why not? I've stuck with you for 100 years, a few more aren't gonna hurt."

"Can I go too?" Axl had gotten off Forte and was looking excited at the prospect of working with Blitz Chick.

Sighing sadly, BC shook her head. "No Axl…you're needed here. Besides, your own team would be very sad if you left them." Seeing the sad look on the younger Reploid's face, she smiled. "Tell you what, I promise I'll come back and visit every once in a while, okay?"

Axl's young face brightened. "Yeah!"

Smiling cheerily, BC laughed. "Great…Now why don't you go see if Zero and X are back from their patrol yet."

Once the navy blue Reploid had gone, BC turned to the rest of the group.

"Fortissimo…Prometheus…Star X…" The brunette looked at each warrior as she addressed them. "You don't know how long it's been…but it is my duty to reveal this to you."

"You are not who you think you are. Your real names are Bass, ProtoMan, and Starfire. 100 years ago, you all worked with me as my friends and elite fighters…When we went to the future, I erased your memories of our time together."

Closing her eyes for a moment, BC finally looked at her friends again. "I would be honored…if you would rejoin me as my elite fighters."

Silence descended for a moment before Forte spoke. "BC…I'll follow you…but I want some answers."

"You will get them, I assure you Bass." She looked to Prometheus.

The red hunter met her eyes, then sighed. "I don't see why not…I was thinking of having a change of career lately."

Finally, all eyes were on Starfire. The blue eyed Reploid glanced around, and then smirked.

"Yeah, sure…why not?"

Blitz grinned and looked at Dante, who was also smiling. He squeezed her hand quickly.

"We can do this BC. I know we can."


	22. Return

"There's no way we can do this!"

It was almost a month after the Maverick uprising. Blitz Chick had gone through recovery well and wasn't to fight for a few more weeks. She had stuck around to help with the recovery of the base before leaving. Surprisingly, her idea to branch off had been welcomed and approved in record time.

Forte and Prometheus, now the newly recognized Bass and ProtoMan, had informed their superior officers at the eastern base. The hadn't had many people to say goodbye to. It wasn't hard for Star X to say goodbye either; all her friends were going with her to her new life. Of course, it had been hard for Telith and Blitz to say goodbye to their friends at the base. After five years, they had unknowingly grown quite attached to many of the hunters and operators. Somehow they got through the ordeal and were on their way to a new life.

Now the reunited friends stood before the ruins of Abnormal Labs, with Dante and Blitz at point.

Hannah tried to make light of the situation. "C'mon BC, it's not like we've lost EVERYTHING…you managed to rescue your furniture and get it to Maverick Hunters HQ right after you woke up from stasis, so we KNOW that's safe! And at least the place is still standing."

Bass sighed. "Still, BC's right. It's a lot of work for the six of us…it'll take months before we can even THINK about bringing in technology."

ProtoMan was standing with his arm around Starfire. "Well, look at it this way; while we're doing repairs we can add anything you wanted to add before."

Dante looked to Prometheus with a grin. "That's a good idea! We can add another room for me while we're at it. Anyone else want an addition?"

There was a pause before Proto spoke. "A sniper tower would be really cool…"

Star thought about it. "A garden would be pretty cool too."

"And a library! For all our books…"

Bass grinned, a roguish, lopsided grin. "C'mon, let's go plan this out!"

The three Reploids raced off towards the labs, calling out suggestions while Telith raced after them, shouting something about blueprints.

Blitz Chick sighed and massaged her temples. "This is NOT going to be easy…"

Dante put an arm around her shoulders. "Since when is anything you do easy?"

Groaning, Blitz did nothing to remove the arm around her. "But this isn't like performing a binding or a robot. This is our home! Our labs! We have to get this perfect, down to the last nail!" Massaging her temples again, the brunette closed her eyes. "This is impossible…"

"C'mon now…" Crooned Dante, pulling the girl a little closer. "Since when does the great Blitz Chick say that something is impossible?" Upon receiving no answer, he continued.

"It's not impossible BC. We can do it together. You're not alone on this one. You've got Telith and the gang back…and you've got me."

At this, the blue eyed brunette looked up, eyes sparkling with a light that Dante recognized as the one she got when she was about to dive headfirst into a project.

"Really?"

"Really."

The two smiled at each other before BC leaned into Dante, closing her eyes and smiling contentedly.

100 years…it was a long time. She thought she would be alone when they had passed, but in reality, she wasn't. She never was to begin with. Sure, Prometheus, Star X, and Forte had a long way to go before they were truly Bass, Starfire and ProtoMan again, but they would recover. And she wasn't the only one who remembered.

Telith had made a pact with her.

Now Dante was in on that pact too.

They were united.

They were the ones who were destined to never forget.

Opening her eyes, Blitz Chick stared at the sky with a smile on her face.

It looked to be a good day, with the promise of a better tomorrow.

The End

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks ya'll! Much love to the reviewers….especially Galaxia and HydraMan. EXE. My apologies for spelling…

Many many thanks to my dear friend Hannah AKA Telith who is my constant inspiration and dear friend. You get the most amazing lines because you ARE amazing.

Thanks also go to Dante. Even though we broke up and you aren't speaking with me anymore, I feel a lot of gratitude towards you. You took the chance to pay attention to me and make me feel as though there really is a guy out there for me. You came in right before I was going to give up. Thank you.


End file.
